Recipe for Disaster
by Achitka
Summary: Randomness, misc monsters, and a whole heap of misunderstandings lead to one boy's discovery of just how dangerous a simple birthday cake can be. Pairings... narusaku some other stuff too...
1. Konohamaru

Hello and welcome. Yesh, well as you can see I've been wandering the Narutoverse...and me being me, this was bound to happen eventually.

Just a quick note on what you'll find below The first part is meant to be introduction. _Not of characters_, but of the premise of the story. You will find that it is light on the usual major elements...fun things like: dialog tags... character and general descriptions... names... They aren't missing, I simply didn't include them for my own reasons - also it's fun to try to write coherent dialog without tags

...There is also the fact that nothing I write is ever what I think it is...

While this may be mildy confusing at first, it does have a purpose and if you make past that you won't be disappointed. If you do have any questions feel free to ask away and I do so hope you enjoy the story...

* * *

**EASY YELLOW CAKE**

2/3 c. shortening  
1 1/4 c. sugar  
2 1/4 c. flour (self rising)  
1 c. milk  
2 eggs  
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 176 Celsius. Grease and flour 2 round pans. Add all ingredients, mix until smooth. Pour in pans and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

* * *

**Recipe for Disaster**

**by achitka**

Genre: Not quite a Parody  
Rating: T or teen  
also to cover for my sorry habit of swearing

* * *

Introduction:

* * *

"Hey old man! Wake up!"

"Eh?"

"Come on wake up"

"Knock it off, kid, I'm already awake and you're late."

"Yeah sure, whatever, come on it's time for your walk."

"Is it? I see, where are your fellows?"

"My what?"

"Your fellows, your classmates, your comrades...friends?"

"Oh them, well they aren't really friends and I suppose they're still on the way here."

"You didn't come together?"

"Noooo, what are you senile or something? You said yourself I was late, so let's getta move on."

"I think I'll wait for the others to arrive. I'm not in the mood to be 'walked' by a loud mouth genin. In fact why don't you have a seat and I'll tell you a little story."

"You gotta be kidding, this has to be the stupidest mission...can't we just get this-"

"Sit boy!"

"I'm sitting, I'm sitting. Is this at least going to be interesting?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Great, are there any battles?"

"A few."

"Blood?"

"What kind of battles would they be without that?"

The boy shrugged so the old man grunted and started his story:

* * *

Our story begins with the simplest of ingredients, one sack of flour, a container of milk, some sugar, butter and the best of intentions. It was late March and the shinobi in possession of these items had big plans for them. Having purchased these ingredients, he made his way home with the firm belief that not only was he going to bake the best cake ever, he was finally going to win the heart of the girl he most desired.

Arriving home, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a carefully folded piece of paper. On it was the recipe for a simple yellow cake. There was a problem though, the recipe had gotten wet and some of the words were now missing. This shinobi being the resourceful ninja that he was, sat down and attempted to fill in the blank spots with the words he thought should be there. Confident that he'd figured them all out he set about making the cake. Unfortunately for everyone involved, what it turned into was a recipe for disaster.

"Disaster?"

"Yes, it's hard to believe one cake could do so much damage, but we're getting ahead of ourselves."

"But...wait a minute..."

"What now?"

"How did the recipe get wet?"

"Well that would be Konohamaru's fault."

"Huh? Hey, did you skip a battle?"

"Just a small one, and it wasn't really a battle."

"Well it's gotta be more interesting than hearing about some guy baking a cake."

"You think? Hmmm, alright then, we'll back up a bit, but no more interruptions. Now where did I leave off...oh yes..."

* * *

Naruto, hadn't eaten any breakfast in his haste to get to the market early. So after leaving the there, he decided to make a quick stop at his favorite ramen shop. Setting the bag with the ingredients down he ordered a bowl of the house specialty and enjoyed it so much he had four more bowls. This also used up the rest of the money he had with him. Normally this would not be a bad thing, but Naruto forgot he was short an ingredient for his cake. Eggs. Remembering too late that he had none at home, he now had to figure out a way to get some.

For most, getting a few eggs was an easy enough affair; you just borrow them from a friend. But for Naruto this was a bit more of a challenge. He only had few friends to begin with and the adults he would normally ask were inaccessible to him at the moment. Iruka-sensei was teaching at the academy, Kakashi-sensei was...well wherever it is jounin go when they aren't training their squads and the old man Hokage, he probably didn't even have any eggs and Naruto didn't want to take the chance that the old man would bore him to death with some inane lecture on being a ninja.

There were the other members of his team, but since Sakura was the intended recipient of the cake, she was out...that left Sasuke. To say that Naruto and Sasuke didn't get along well would be an understatement to the extreme, but Naruto was desperate so he sighed and started toward Sasuke's home in another part of town. Like Naruto, Sasuke lived alone but Naruto never liked going there. The place was creepy, silent and empty of people. Why his teammate chose to live in such a place was one of those mysteries that quite frankly baffled him.

As he neared his destination he ran into a young acquaintance, Konohamaru and when I say ran into, I mean it literally; for as Naruto rounded a corner he was knocked flat on his back by the younger boy.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Naruto shouted.

"Sorry!" the other replied and after getting a look at who he'd just run into grabbed Naruto's arm and shouted, "Ah! It's you Naruto-niichan!"

"Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, "What are you doing running around like that! You could have killed me!"

"Naruto-niichan, you're just the one I need! You have to help me!"

Naruto rose from the ground and dusted himself off. Lifting his shopping bag he stuck his nose inside inspecting the contents for damage saying, "I don't have time right now, I'm-"

"But it's a matter of life or death!" Konohamaru begged. "Please...?"

"Ahhh...but Konohamaru I..."

If it had been anyone else Naruto would have just said no and been on his way, but Naruto had taken a liking to the boy. Thoughts of his cake and how much time he'd already wasted that morning ran through his head, but Konohamaru was so insistent that Naruto let out a sigh and said, "Oi...alright Konohamaru, but someone really better be dying."

"Thank you Naruto-niichan!" Konahamaru shouted and bolted ahead into the crowded street. Naruto let out another sigh and took off after him.


	2. Konohamaru cont

Yes I am so easily distracted. But as stated earlier if you have an opinion please share it. Find something off in my grammar; punctuation; feel free to let me know - thanks again for reading and let's hope you enjoy... 

**Recipe for Disaster  
by achitka**

**Konohamaru  
(Continued)**

* * *

Sitting near an open window, Sasuke was enjoying a rare leisurely morning after training. So it was by chance that he looked down toward the street in time to see Konohamaru flatten Naruto. This brought a smile to the Uchiha's face as he thought, _What an idiot._ Sasuke also found, he was oddly curious as to why in the world Naruto would even be on this side of town. There were plenty of people in Konoha that considered this part of town not only unlucky, but cursed. _Weird_, he thought and continued watching as Naruto inspected the contents of the bag he was carrying while Konohamaru jumped excitedly nearby. When Naruto pulled his nose out of the bag, he appeared worried about something. Konohamaru tugged on Naruto's sleeve and the pair took off. As they disappeared up the crowed street, Sasuke noted, they were headed in the direction of the old Uchiha district. 

"What the hell are those two up to?" Sasuke wondered. Deciding he'd better keep an eye on them, he dressed quickly, grabbed his gear and headed out.

* * *

"Hey, Konohamaru, just who are we saving?" 

"A princess!" Konohamaru shouted.

Naruto grabbed Konohamaru's scarf and pulled him to a halt. "A real Princess? I don't have time today to be playing ninja."

"I know that, and it is a real princess!" Konohamaru shouted and took off once again. Naruto stared after him, surprised by how quickly the boy was moving. That Princess must be someone special if he's running that fast and Naruto almost missed seeing Konohamaru skid around a corner into an alley. Picking up his pace in an effort to catch up with him, Naruto rounded the corner at top speed and came to a dead stop when he realized Konohamaru was gone.

Now it is true to say that Naruto was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he wasn't completely dim. Even if he didn't always understand what was going on, he'd learned a long time ago to listen to his instincts._ Something is not right,_ he thought as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Looking up at the imposing wall at the end of the darkened alleyway, Naruto backed up a bit hoping maybe he'd taken a wrong turn, but he knew he hadn't.

"Konohamaru?" Naruto called. No one answered and Naruto was getting that weird sinking feeling, the one that told him he should be getting the hell out of there._ Shit..._ he thought and started forward anyway. "Konohamaru?" Still no reply. "Damn it, Konohamaru, where the hell are you?"

* * *

Sasuke heard rather than saw Naruto and followed the sound of his voice. As Sasuke approached the alley Naruto had turned into he paused and looked around at the milling crowds of people in the on the street. Not one person was any where near the alleyway's entrance to the street. In fact if he didn't know better, he'd swear they were being deflected away from it. A flash of orange in the alley caught Sasuke's attention and he heard Naruto shout, "Damn it, Konohamaru, where the hell are you?" 

Naruto disappeared from view and Sasuke carefully edged his way closer to the corner. Wouldn't do to be spotted now but where was Konohamaru? Sasuke decided it'd be better if he got a better perspective and ran up the wall to the roof. With a bird's eye view of things, Sasuke noticed what Naruto did not. Unfortunately it was already too late and Naruto abruptly disappeared.

* * *

"Hey kid..." 

"Huh? Why are you stopping? It was finally starting to get interesting."

"I think your teammates have arrived. Why don't you go let them in."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fine..."

The door opened and the old man surveyed the three people standing there. Two were children, younger than the one already in his rooms but not by much. In fact he'd venture to say they were twins and even though they didn't resembled the first boy he decided they were siblings. The last to enter was their jounin sensei. She frowned at the older boy and appeared ready to scold him, but she caught the old man's eyes and paused, following his gaze. She shook her head as she noted the older boy already had his jaw set in anticipation of the event. Deciding the lecture could wait, she shrugged and said;

"Sensei, it's good to see up and around again, you ready to get started?"

The old man nodded to the jounin.

"All right you three, let's go."

"But..."

"But what, we're already way behind schedule."

"I want to hear the rest of the story..."

"Story? Which...story? Oh no, please tell me you aren't telling him _that_ story..."

The old man coughed and headed for the still open door.

"Oh God! You were! You swore you'd never ..."

"I never swore...in fact I never promised either. Time to go, it's getting late and I'd like to be home at a reasonable time for dinner."

"You're just evil."

Which will I choose...miso? No, no, I had that twice already this week, definitely tonkotsu."

* * *

oh my... 


	3. Rabbit Hole

**I suppose it's about time some of these peoples got names...why? Why not, besides I just decided how they got them in the first place...details, details.**

**Recipe for Disaster  
by achitka**

**Rabbit Hole  
**

* * *

"Well," the old man said, "I guess it's time for some introductions. I already know who you are," he said waving at the jounin, he turned instead to face the boy. Dark eyes regarded him cautiously as the old man asked, "What's your name, boy?"

"Hito."

"And you two?" he asked pointing to the others. The pair of boys smiled, one held up four fingers, the other three.

"That's Yon and Mi," Hito answered pointing to each in turn.

"Your brothers can't answer for themselves?"

"Actually, Sensei, they did," the Jounin broke in, "It's more right to say, they won't answer out loud."

"Really? How odd. Must be fun getting through your missions."

"Tell me about it."

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, we're off," the old man said and set off at a brisk pace up the road. Mi and Yon exchanged glances with their brother, who shrugged in reply and the pair laughed as they caught up to the old man. Hito originally expected to be done with this mission rather quickly or at least he'd hoped it would. It was turning out to be a rather open ended sort of thing and that just irked him. There was something odd about that old man that his teacher wasn't telling him. He also had the strange feeling he was being set up but he had no clue for what.

"Sensei?"

"Yeah, Hito?"

"I thought you said the old man was blind."

"He is."

"Was he blind when he was your teacher?"

"Yup."

Hito fell back to watching the old guy closely for any signs this was true. After several minutes he said to his teacher, "I still think he's faking it."

"Why is that?"

"Blind people don't walk like that and Sensei he _looked_ at me."

"Ah..."

"What do you mean...ah?"

"He really is blind, those eyeballs in his head are made of glass, and they're only there so people don't freak out when they meet him."

That was not the answer he was expecting. "Oh, then how did..."

"He controls their movement with his chakra. It's how he _sees_ the people and things around him. I don't think he's able to distinguish colors, I mean look at that outfit, but who knows. I'm not sure the range of his ability or how he manages it in the first place."

"Then it's a bloodline limit."

"No, that's unlikely since he wasn't blind as a child or even a teenager. Something happened though, I really have no idea what though. I did ask once, he told me he's just really good at learning to adapt. "

"So in other words, _don't be so damn nosy._"

"Exactly."

The walk continued for over an hour and when they returned to the apartment, the old man went inside after waving his farewell. Hito convinced his brothers to distract their teacher and the pair took off in the wrong direction. Hito snickered as his teacher ran after and yelled at the pair in a vain attempt to get them to come back. He wondered why she bothered since they always ended up back at home. It's not like anyone was going to let those two wander off.

Not really believing what his Sensei said was true, Hito sat on a nearby fence as the sun dropped behind the horizon. Convinced that if he waited long enough a light would appear in the old man's apartment. Several hours later, he decided to call it quits. It was full dark and getting late and Hito knew he'd best get home.

Carefully closing the door behind him, Hito listened intently for any sound. Nothing. _Good,_ he thought _Mom and Dad are still out_. Padding quietly up the stairs he slipped into darkened room he shared with his brothers.

_Well?  
Was there a light? _

Hito took a deep breath; even as late as it was, he should have known they'd still be awake. Their wispy voices hit his ears from opposite sides, as always Mi's was on the right and Yon, the left. Most people found it unnerving, especially their habit of completing each other sentences, but Hito was used to it. The whole family was.

"Nope," Hito replied.

Sometimes he regretted conning his sister Futa into drawing straws to see who would be their teammate. He'd fixed it so she'd be the one to go on. She had ten times the talent he did and that was the primary reason he chose to remain at the academy until Mi and Yon were able to graduate. That made him wonder how Futa was fairing at the chuunin exams in the Sand village. Sensei said she'd made it through the first round; of course he had no idea where she got that information.

_Wow, how do you-  
think he does it? _

"Don't know, don't care," Hito responded crossing the room. It was a lie, but they'd keep him up half the night with their questions if he didn't put a stop to it now.

_That's too bad.  
Will you-  
tell us-  
the story? _

"No, not now," Hito said and found himself getting pissed off. Not wanting to yell at his brothers he said, "Guys, just go to sleep, it's all ancient history anyway and we'll likely have a new ever so exciting D Rank tomorrow."

_Okay  
Goodnight _

Hito sat on his bed near the window staring at the empty street below and after a while of running details of the story through his head, he decided he was just being stupid. _It's a dumb story anyway. Who gives a crap about a stupid cake? _

Obviously he did and Hito became irritated with himself for even wanting to know. It's not like he was planning to write a book or anything, but...Hito groaned when he realized that somewhere in his head he'd already decided he needed to find out how it all ended and thought, _I am such a loser. _

"I thought I heard you come in."

His father's voice caught him off guard and Hito wondered how long his father was standing there. _Here it comes_, he thought and sighed. As a son of the Hokage...blah, blah, blah...he should be more this, blah, blah, more that. He was so tired of the lectures. Knowing a response was required Hito said, "Hey, Pop."

"You're a bit late getting in."

"There was something I had to do."

"I see, I hear fence duty can be like that. Did you find out what you wanted?"

"Not completely."

"That's too bad, but next time-" His father broke off and for some reason, smiled. "Next time, try not to be out so late. It worries your mother. Goodnight, Son." He then turned and without another word walked away. Hito gaped at the spot his father just vacated and wondered what the hell was going on. Right now he should be sitting through yet another talk about responsibility. It also occurred to him then that Sensei didn't shout at him the way she normally did when he took off from the group. _I suppose I really should stop doing that, _Hito thought. Either way the whole stupid day was just odd.

Getting ready for bed, Hito looked out the window and thought he saw someone on the street below. Stepping closer to the window he stared at the spot, but there was no one there. _That was just creepy,_ he thought he was sure someone had been there before. Pulling the curtains closed he lay down, but found he couldn't sleep. Something was going on and it didn't help that the adults of his world were just getting weirder and weirder every day.

In the days that followed, Hito was given little time to ponder over his newfound obsession. He was right to think he they were due for a new mission. In fact the team just successfully completed their very first C-Ranked mission. Yon and Mi had already bugged him into telling them the part of the story that he'd already heard. They'd also extracted a promise from him to find out the rest. When the group stopped and set up camp in the middle of a very large field, Hito lay back and stared up into the cloudless sky, studiously ignoring his brothers as they chattered on about their first 'out of village experience'. While he pondered anew the old man's story, Hito just couldn't shake the feeling there was more to it than just cake. Hell, he knew most of the people in it and even toyed with asking Sensei, but it was obvious from her initial reaction, she wasn't about to tell him anything and would likely clobber him if he pushed it too much. His parents definitely knew something but he discarded that idea since he figured it'd just be a waste of time anyway. That left the old man. When they got back they'd have at least three days to rest before the next mission. Hito was coming up with a pretty extensive list of questions, all of which he intended to get answers for.

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading!**

**cya - achitka  
**


	4. Rabbit Hole  cont

**I can almost guarantee these people are not quite who I think they are...oh my. As always, if you see errors, please do tell. **

**All that said - off we go...  
**

**Recipe for Disaster  
Part 2:**

**Rabbit Hole  
(cont.)  
**

* * *

"You're up early, Pop," Hito said when he entered the kitchen the next morning. His father was standing at the counter reading a magazine and favored his son with an almost embarrassed expression. It was then Hito realized which magazine his father was flipping through. It was the same one Hito had abandoned on the counter the day before. 

"You are so lucky your mother worked the late shift yesterday," his father said as he closed it and held it out to his son. Hito snatched it and shoved it under his arm. "Anyway I'm taking your brother's fishing after I finish up a few things, want to come?"

"No thanks, Pop, I got some stuff I gotta do today."

"More training? It is your day off."

"So?"

His father shrugged.

_Can we_

_come too?_

"No."

_Why_

_Not?_

"Mi, Yon, please come down from there. If your mother catches you eating breakfast while hanging from the rafters like that, she'll likely add to your current laundry duties."

_Come on Pop!_

_We're training!_

"Your funeral, do your best boys," his father said as he picked up a small pile of papers from the counter, waved and vanished in a puff of smoke. Hito looked up, sure enough there they were. He rolled his eyes and grabbed his bowl full of cereal heading to the dining room. _Little show offs_ Hito thought as he sat on the table and shoveled down a mouthful just as his mother walked in the room from another part of the house. She was reading one of the charts she was carrying and was already dressed in her Medic uniform. That meant she was due to be at the hospital soon. Hito was not playing nursemaid today and did his best to turn his back toward her. Maybe if he didn't make eye contact…as she walked toward the kitchen, she caught the back of his shirt and yanked him down onto one of the floor mats and said sweetly, "Good Morning, Hito-chan."

Hito fumbled with his bowl, trying hard not to let the rolled up magazine under his arm escape and said in a voice loud enough for his brother's to hear, "Morning Mom!" and was pleased to hear two thuds from the kitchen. Hito snickered and his mother gave him that look and Hito immediately shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth to keep from laughing. Sliding the door to the kitchen open, his mother let out an exasperated sigh when she found her youngest sons rubbing their backsides as they got up from the floor. Wolfing down the rest of his cereal, he abandon his bowl and bolted out the front door before his mother could find a reason to stop him.

Returning to his chosen outpost, Hito sat on the wooden fence outside the old man's apartment for a good long while as he tried to think up a good excuse for being there in the first place. It wasn't coming to him, but the problem was solved for him when an unseen hand pushed him forward off the fence. Hito hit the ground with a thud and scrambling to his feet as he looked around for the person who pushed him. Turning back around Hito jumped away from the person there, smashing backward into the fence. It was the old guy. Where hell did he come from?

"What brings you back here? I'd have thought you be training with your brothers?"

"It's our day off so they're going fishing with our father."

"Sounds like fun. That still doesn't explain why you're here."

"Do I need to?"

"I suppose not," the old man said and walked away.

Never seeming to take notice of anyone around him, Hito watched the old guy as he weaved through the crowded street, never even coming close to running into anyone. _Okay this is just stupid, _he thought, _you came here for a reason idiot, so just get on with it already. _SinceHito thought he knew where the old man was headed, he decided to beat him there. Taking a shortcut through town he reached the training grounds and sat atop one of the thick logs stuck in the ground there.

After sitting for there for almost an hour, Hito was ready call it a day, obviously he'd guessed wrong, besides it was lunchtime and he was hungry. As he got ready to step off the log, Hito felt a smack from behind and was knocked to the ground. He turned over ready to pounce on whoever hit him but found his legs immobilized by some sort of wire.

"You're not very good at this ninja thing are you boy."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement and it immediately pissed Hito off. "What the hell do you want?"

"To know why you're following me or are you going to tell me it's some kind of odd coincidence you keep turning up?"

_You didn't come here to piss him off, idiot. _Hito sighed and let his head fall back on the grass. "I just wanted..."_ God this so stupid_, he thought.

"You just wanted?"

"I just wanted to find out how that story about the cake ended up."

Other than the wires around his legs going slack there was a complete and total lack of response from the old guy. Hito disentangled himself and waited. Seconds stretched into minutes and Hito decided he'd had enough. Just one more thing he wasn't going to find out.

"I guess that's a no then...sorry to have bothered you, old man."

Hito got up and started back on the path toward town when he heard: "First tell me, why is it you want to know, and make sure it's the truth, I don't take well to being lied to."

The question brought Hito to a halt, he'd probably only get one chance at this so he'd better make it count. Keeping his voice as even as he could he said, "There was someone you mentioned in the story that I always wanted to know more about. I've asked, but no one ever talks about what happened when he was a kid...it's like there some sort of huge secret...anyway I guess I was hoping you..."

"That I'd accidentally spill it during the telling?"

Hito shrugged but when the other cocked an eyebrow, Hito just sighed and nodded.

"I'll tell you what, boy. You buy lunch, and I'll give you some more details."

"Really?"

"Really."

True to his word, the old man said nothing until they reached the ramen shop and Hito had ordered up two bowls of barbecue pork ramen. Once they settled into their lunch the old man started up his story, by reminding Hito where they'd left off. Hito didn't actually need it, but figured he'd humor the old guy.

* * *

Naruto's first inkling that something wasn't right came when he realized he was falling, and fast. _Crap!_ Shoving the handle of his bag of groceries in his teeth, unable to see anything around him, Naruto thrust his hands out and discovered the walls were barely within reach. He struggled for a moment to calm himself enough to focus chakra into his hands and feet. Pushing as far out as his arms and legs could stretch he focused on sticking to the wall. Skidding to a halt, Naruto looked up but the exit was just a small dot above him. Below was just more darkness. 

"Naruto nii-chan..." Konohamaru's voice almost caused Naruto to lose his tentative grip on the wall. The boy was standing on some sort of ledge just above him and Naruto glared at Konohamaru. He would have shouted but for the grocery bag still stuffed between his teeth. "Why didn't you just use the ladder?" Konohamaru asked looking very puzzled. Naruto's eyes finally adjusted to the gloom and he did in fact see the ladder just a few inches from his right hand. Not wanting lose face in the younger boy's eyes, Naruto thought up an almost reasonable explanation a lot quicker than he normally would. Shifting his hand, Naruto caught hold of the ladder and breathed a sigh as he shifted the bag into his left.

"It's training, Konohamaru," Naruto said as he climbed up to the ledge. "I told you I don't have time to waste."

"Oh," Konohamaru replied accepting the answer.

"So where next?" Naruto asked.

"This way." The boy then turned and started into the dimly lit tunnel they found themselves in front of. Naruto actually had to duck to follow him and after several twists and turns, Naruto could only hope Konohamaru knew where he was going because he was completely lost.

Finally they stepped out into a deeply walled garden. It was overgrown from years of neglect, and the pond at the center was choked with dead grasses and leaves. Naruto was aghast; he could tell the garden was really beautiful once just by the path that led through it. It was well worn so someone used to spend a lot of time here and Naruto wonder what happened to the gardener who had cared for it.

"The princess is over here!"

Naruto snapped out of his trance and walked over to where Konohamaru was standing pointing at something. At first Naruto thought the princess must be behind the sickly looking palm and looked to one side then the other, but there was no one there.

"Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, "Where is she?"

"Right in front of you Naruto nii-chan!"

"What!" Naruto shouted and smacked Konohamaru up the back of his head as he finally realized the boy was talking about the plant. "Dammit, you idiot, I told you I didn't have time to play today and now I've wasted half the day for ... a plant?!"

"But she's special! She's sick and you're the only one who can save her, Naruto nii-chan!"

Naruto felt the weight of his groceries on his arm and sat on the ground with a disheartened thud. Not only did he still not have his eggs, but he was quite sure he'd never have time to find some and still get home to make the cake. He was going to miss his chance to impress the girl of his dreams. The longer Naruto thought about it, the more it depressed him. Still he'd accepted this mission from Konohamaru and if there was one thing Uzumaki Naruto was known for it was finishing what he started.

"What's wrong, boss?"

"It's nothing, Konohamaru," Naruto said as he got up and set the grocery bag down. "Let's have a look at your princess."

* * *

"Okay wait a minute old man, I'm confused," Hito said, "What happened to the water...and I thought you said there was a battle?" 

"You certainly are an impatient brat. Who's telling this story anyway? The battle, such as it was, was not until later. We are also done for today. It's time for you to go, Uzumaki Hito."

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading and know that all opinions, suggestions and crits are welcome and most highly appreciated.**

** cya - achitka  
**


	5. Pretty Pretty Princess

**Hououza, how could you not tell me I was spelling Uzumaki wrong? Just kidding, seriously I'm lucky if I can spell my pen name correctly half the time.**** Anyway I'll get to more of the 'cake story' in the next chapter... **

**All that said - off we go...  
**

**Recipe for Disaster  
by achitka**

**Pretty Pretty Princess  
**

* * *

"What do you mean it's time to go? You just got started." 

"I have things to do, kid."

Hito didn't really believe that, but couldn't really argue the point. "So since you didn't finish, is it alright if I come by again?"

The old man turned in his seat and said, "I'll make you a deal, kid."

"A deal?" Hito wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. "I guess, what kind of deal?"

"All you have to do is find me by noon and I'll tell you more."

"That's it?" Hito asked.

The old guy nodded.

"And if I'm late?"

"Try not to be, I'm not inclined to wait."

"Ooookay, that ought to be easy enough," Hito said but noted the small smile on the old guys face.

"Hito!" a familiar voice shouted and Hito twisted around in his seat to see his mother headed straight for him. When he turned back to ask another question he frowned, the old guy was gone. Not only was he not there, but there wasn't even a touch of resonance from his chakra and Hito realized 'finding' the geezer might not be as easy as he first thought.

Turning back to his mother, Hito noticed she had Mi and Yon with her and Hito rolled his eyes as he hopped off the stool and met her in the street.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hito-chan," she said, "can you take these two down to the river to go fishing?"

"I thought Pop was taking them?"

"He was, but he's been held up and can't get a way for a bit longer. He'll meet you all there later."

"Why can't they just go by themselves?"

_Yeah!  
Why not?  
We're not..  
babies!_

His mother rounded on the pair. "Don't you two start that again," she said and both boys took a step back. Hito smirked, sometimes his mother was just scary, but that was soon wiped off his face when his mother snagged his ear and pulled him a few feet away. "Feeling better about the idea yet, Hito-chan?"

"Ow! Ow! yes yes..."

"Good," she said releasing his ear. "There is actually another reason I want you to go with them."

"What?" Hito asked as he rubbed his ear.

"There have been sightings of some unusual animals in the forest. No one's been able to capture one so just be careful. They probably aren't dangerous but if you see anything out of the ordinary, make sure you report it." His mother didn't wait for a response and turned and walked off.

_Weird animals? Great..._ "Come on, guys, let's get going."

_So tell us  
what did the  
old guy  
tell you?_

"I'll tell you on the way." Hito was not at all surprised his brothers knew what he was up to that day. Both were a little too smart for their own good and they were better than anyone at putting together random information. Hito's job was to collect it. So as they made their way toward the river, Hito told them the story.

_That was  
short...  
So the  
Princess is  
a plant?_

"Yup," Hito said as they arrived at their destination.

_That's just  
weird...  
So, how you  
gonna find  
he geezer?_

"Dunno, but I will, don't worry."

_Whose...  
worried?_

"You should be," Hito said and pushed them both off the riverbank. His brothers let out audible shouts as they fell into the water and Hito burst out laughing. Once he could breath again he wiped a tear from his eyes and said, "Suckers."

After several hours of messing around in general, the boys decided their father wasn't coming. It was getting late, so the three of them collected the fish they'd caught and headed for home. Hito thought he saw something moving on the forest floor beneath them and called a quick halt.

_What's...  
wrong, Hito?_

Hito waved off the question as he senses were assaulted by the nastiest chakra, he'd ever come across. Mi and Yon must have felt it too, since they both went rigid as it slid across their awareness leaving a greasy feeling behind that made Hito shudder. _What the hell is that? Was it one of the creatures Mom warned me about?_Just as abruptly as it started the sensation disappeared. Deciding to stay off the ground Hito made his brother's stick to the trees and then the rooftops when the entered the village, just to be sure. Still it was obvious his brothers were not happy, they were actually speaking in complete sentences.

"_I really thought he was going to show up this time," _Mi said.  
"_Quit being such a baby," _Yon said sounding very irritated.  
"_I'm not a baby!" _Mi shouted back.  
"_Then quit whining like one, he's the Hokage. He's got more important things to do than go fishing..."_ when Yon fell silent Mi finished for him _"...with us..."_  
"_yeah..."_

Hito didn't say anything, when their father became the Hokage five years before; He and Futa just turned, seven and his brothers, four. The extra attention was fun at first, but that didn't last for long. Now their father was gone from home more than he was there and even though Hito was considered one of the top Genin of his class, the expectations of his classmates and teachers at the academy just got...ridiculous. It was the main reason he started slacking off and even though he hated to admit it, it irked him that Mi and Yon easily met those expectations and Futa... He wanted to become more powerful, just to make them all shut up about it already. He just needed to find someone willing to teach him what he wanted since his own father didn't seem to have the time to. Angry, Hito picked up his pace and Mi and Yon struggled to keep up with him. Once they were nearer to home, Hito's anger managed to run its course so he slowed and dropped to the street. When his brothers caught up, both were breathing hard and Hito realized he'd done it again.

"Sorry, guys…"

"_It's okay…"_  
"_Hito, we know…"_  
"_why you stayed…"_  
"_behind…"_  
"_We'll work…"_  
"_really hard…"_  
"_and promise…"_  
"_not to hold…"_  
"_you back …"_  
"_anymore…"_

"What the hell are you two talking about? If you haven't noticed the only one holding me back is…"

"Who?"

"Skip it, okay?" They nodded but it was obvious they were still skeptical so Hito added, "It's not your fault guys. Anyway, last one home gets to tell Mom, Dad was a no show!"

"What? No!" Mi and Yon shouted. Hito laughed, as he took off up the street with his brothers hot on his heels.

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading and know that all opinions, suggestions and crits are welcome and most highly appreciated.**

**cya - achitka  
**


	6. Pretty Pretty Princess cont

...and the true randomness is about to begin...still don't own a thing

**Recipe for Disaster**

**Pretty Pretty Princess (cont.)**  
by achtika

* * *

Hito slowed as they reached their house and took the rest of the fish from his brothers and headed out back. The yard was small and the path a bit overgrown, but it was home. Hito threw the fish on a small table covered with an assortment of pots that he stacked the pots neatly to the side and went about cleaning the fish. Mi and Yon turned up a few minutes later with a bowl of water and bucket. 

"Mom's not home yet either?"

They shook their heads and both watched him intently as he quickly gutted the first one and placed it on a stick.

"Why are you two just standing there? Go start a fire already..."

_But we  
want to learn  
how to  
do this_

Hito was starting to get seriously annoyed with his parents and his brothers looked so pathetic Hito just sighed and said, "Fine."

_All  
right!_

Both grabbed a fish and pulling out their Kunai immediately set about stabbing their respective fish.

"Gah!" Hito cried alarmed the pair would slice their fingers off, "Not like  
that you idiots! Geez!"  
_  
Damn Hito  
you don't  
have to  
scream at us _

"Yeah, well if you keep that up you'll put an eye out! Now pay attention," and he went about showing his brothers the right way to gut a fish. Once all the fish were cleaned and on their spits the boys set about making a campfire.

"Field training, this time of night? Man, you three really are hardcore," a familiar voice behind them said.

Three heads whipped around at once and shouted, "Konohamaru-kun!"

"Hey guys, how's the infamous Uzumaki genin trio doing?"

_Great! We  
just finished  
our first C Rank!_

"I heard, so how many days you got left?"

"Two," Hito answered.

"Oh sure ignore your sensei..." Moegi said as she stepped up next to Konohamaru.

"Hi, Moegi-Sensei, didn't see you standing there," Hito said with a smirk.

"Nice," she said, "By the way, you're dinner is on fire."

"So where'd you get the fish from?"

"Uh the river, Konohamaru-kun," Hito said as he adjusted the fish over the fire.

"Wow, I can't believe your dad let you leave the village by yourselves-" Moegi elbowed her fellow jounin hard to the midriff and Konohamaru doubled over in pain for a moment.

"Geez," she said as she added a smack to the back of his head, "What were you just told, not twenty minutes ago?"

"Yeah right, so what other deviltry you three been up to?"

The three brothers exchanged glances, but let it be for now. Maybe that weird chakra they'd felt had something to do with it.

"Nothing really, just training and stuff."

_Hito went back  
to see the old  
man again  
Moegi-Sensei will  
you tell us what  
happened?_

Hito went still. If anyone could get her to tell them it was Mi and Yon, apparently Moegi-sensei had a soft spot for whiny nine-year-olds.

"What story?" Konohamaru asked.

Moegi dragged her attention away from the pair and said in a horrified voice,"_The cake story_."

Konohamaru favored Moegi with an odd look, then his face went completely blank for a moment. All four ninja jumped back when jounin suddenly burst out laughing so hard he started crying.

_So will  
you tell us  
Konohamaru-kun?_

"Oh hell no, your mother would kill me for sure. Besides, the old man tells it better than anyone."

If it was that funny Hito was definitely going to find out the rest, even if he had to drag it bodily from the old man.

* * *

Hito glanced at his watch it was already almost eleven o'clock and he still had no clue where the old guy could be. Mi and Yon seemed to think the old guy would be in that garden, but the Uchiha District no longer existed. The whole of it burned down to the ground almost fifteen years before, so finding that particular garden would be impossible and Hito dismissed the idea, but now... 

_Wait a minute..._

Hito took off back toward the center of town and glanced at his watch as he neared his destination. ..11:53,

_Damn it I'm still too far away,_ he thought and pushed himself into high gear. Hito barely touched the rooftops and was moving faster than he'd ever managed to in the past, but maintaining this speed was exhausting and he knew instinctively that stopping would be an even bigger problem. Spotting his target, Hito did his best to not tear up the street too much as he skidded to a halt in front of the old man.

There was no look of surprise or even an indication that the old man realized he was there until the geezer said, "You're late kid."

Hito turned himself over and gasped out, "I know...I was too...too far away...when I remembered...where my father said they always...met before missions..."

"Well then I'll give you marks for genuine effort, but I'll see you later."

"Wait! Since...you're giving...me marks can I...at least..." Hito paused as he sucked in a big breath "...at least... ask a question?"

"You're joking right kid?"

"No."

More silence. "Fine, one question."

"How...did that...happen?" he asked pointing to the old man's face.

There was a pause as the old guy looked out over the village. Hito thought for sure he was going to ignore the question but was surprised when the old man answered.

"It's been awhile since that happened so I suppose there's no harm in telling you." The old man's tone was oddly conversational...like he was discussing the weather, "Officially, the records say I lost them during a fight and the ensuing grand fireball. Was quite the explosion, much larger than I'd planned…a sort of overkill I couldn't seem to avoid back then."

"That must have been...some battle."

"You shouldn't be impressed, it was a battle that should have never happened. While it didn't kill me, I think at the time...I really wanted it to. Anyway six weeks later, after I came to, and I discovered my eyes were damaged beyond repair."

"Then how...are you still alive?"

"That's a good question, too bad I only agreed to answer one."

"Come on...why?"

"Why so curious?"

"I want...to learn how you..."

"Do you? What even makes you think you could? "

Hito shrugged.

"You're just as stubborn as your old man, I'll think about it, kid." Finally having caught his breath Hito turned to leave but stopped when the old man asked, "You hungry?"

"Huh?" was the only answer Hito managed to come up with.

"It's lunch time, you live around here don't you?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Then lead the way," the old man said and Hito figured it was his lucky day...maybe he'd get more of the story out of him yet. When they reached his house, Hito opened the front door but the old man walked around to the back yard. Hito shrugged at the weirdness and followed. The geezer sat himself on a rock near the pond and waited. Hito took that to mean he should be getting the food so went in the house and picked through the refrigerator. Grabbing a large leftover bowl of red beans and rice, he snagged a pot, a couple of bowls and a few pairs of chopsticks. As he was headed for the door, he almost dropped everything when he heard his mother say;

"Hito-chan, what are you doing with all that?"

"I'm going out back," he said as if it weren't obvious.

"That's not what I asked, Hito."

Hito recognized that dangerous tone in his mother's voice...If she found out about the old guy, she'd most likely forbid him from talking him when he considered Konohamaru's and his Sensei's reaction to being asked about that stupid story.

"Sorry, Mom, it was such a nice day...I uh...thought I'd eat outside."

"By yourself?"

Hito did not want to lie to his mother, that could end up being fatal. "Uh no." Hito stared at the floor and felt the heat rising in his face..._This is not going to go well,_ he thought.

"Oh? Did you bring home a _friend?_"

Hito's head snapped up at the word, _friend?_ Just who did she think he had back...and a smile crept on to his face as his mother came closer. "Uh, Mom? Could you not go back there, I don't want my friend to...well you know."

Apparently she did and she gave her son an appraising look before she smiled to herself and headed out of the kitchen. Hito almost fell over from relief and he went outside. The old guy was right where he'd left him and had already started a fire. While Hito wondered how he'd managed that, he set up the grill over the small blaze and as the food heated up, the old man started up his story.

* * *

Sasuke leapt from the rooftop and peered into the blackness Naruto just disappeared into. The first and most obvious thing he noticed was; it was just too damn quiet. It was decidedly odd that there were no shouts or curses coming from the blackness below him. Naruto truly was the noisiest ninja in all of shinobi-dom so there was no way Naruto would take a fall like that and not be screaming his damn fool head off and whether Sasuke wanted it to or not, that worried him. 

_Idiot,_ Sasuke thought and activating his sharingan he started down the ladder into the darkness. It wasn't until he was some ways down that he noticed the chakra residue next to the ladder. It was already fading so Sasuke picked up his pace a bit. The only thing working in his favor right at the moment was Naruto's inability to control the amount of chakra he used. He followed the yellow strafing until it stopped. Taking a careful look around he now saw the opening in the wall and climbed into it.

Sasuke took a few steps and slipped a bit on the wet tiles. When he saw the footprint, he smiled, and pulled out a kunai. Tying a wire to the end he jammed it into the wall where a few tiles were missing and gave it a tug to make sure it was secure. Sasuke checked how much wire he had with him. _Three bundles, ought to be more than enough,_ he thought. Now with his wire trailing behind him Sasuke followed Naruto's fading footsteps into the tunnel.

When he heard Naruto's voice echoing ahead of him, he slowed down to listen. Naruto was chastising Konohamaru about the depth of the hole they were apparently digging.

"Oi, Konohamaru, watch what you are doing."

"Okay, boss!"

"We can't bury your Princess in that, it's too shallow."

_Bury the Princess? What the hell is going on?_ Sasuke grew even further alarmed when Konohamaru asked, "How many limbs do you plan to cut off?"

"As many as it takes, you just mind the hole."

Making his way a little faster toward the sound of the voices, Sasuke stopped when he reached the broken grating that led to the garden. Naruto and Konohamaru were hidden from view behind a rather large palm so Sasuke slipped quietly inside, sticking close to the wall as he edged nearer the pair.

"Is this deep enough, boss?"

"Aah, that will do. Now help me lift her."

"Hai!"

Sasuke refused to believe the morbid thoughts that continually came to him as he moved closer. There was no way that those two had actually...Sasuke looked down when his foot ran into something. It was the bag Naruto had been carrying and curious now, he open it and peered inside. Eying the contents, Sasuke wondered what in the world Naruto would need such things for. As far as anyone knew, Naruto only ate instant ramen.

"Konohamaru! What are you doing? If you bury her like that, she'll break loose!" Naruto cried as he came out from behind the palm. Sasuke's head snapped up and dropping the bag he instantly jumped for the cover of a large shed. _The hell!_ he thought and quickly covered his nose. Naruto was not only covered in a layer of mud, but he smelled awful and it took Sasuke a moment to realize Naruto was carrying something. He never got a good look at it since Naruto chose that moment to turn back to Konohamaru, but if it was what he thought it was…

Sasuke shook his head, No way...he thought, but was unable to look again as Naruto approached the shed and he had to duck back again. There was a loud crash from inside the shed as Naruto sorted through whatever was in there. After a few minutes he reappeared, arms weighed down by several small pots as he wandered back to the palm.

So engrossed with what Naruto was doing, Sasuke failed to hear the tell tale sound of the rotting wood splitting beneath him before it gave way. He smacked hard on the dirt floor and cursed under his breath. Getting to his feet, he listened for any sign that Naruto or Konohamaru were approaching, hearing nothing he leapt back through the hole he'd created in the roof and immediately jumped into the nearest tree. He now had a bird's eye view of the goings on in the garden below and was strangely surprised by what he saw. It wasn't the gruesome murder scene he first envisioned...Naruto and Konohamaru were potting plants. At least ten good sized palm shoots were laid out on the grass as Naruto showed Konohamaru the best way to separate the roots without tearing them.

Dropping a little lower in the tree to get a better view of the goings on, Sasuke froze when Naruto suddenly stood and looked up. Sasuke deactivated his sharingan in an effort to mask his chakra and leaned closer to the tree. It never occurred to him that Naruto had learned to read chakra signatures, but then he never considered that Naruto could do much of anything without screwing it up.

* * *

Hito's anger flared. As much as he was interested in finding out how it all ended up, he really was getting tired of the old man calling his father an idiot. However true, he was still his father and once again Hito interrupted the story and asked, "Can I ask you a question?" 

"Again?" the old man snapped. Hito nodded and ignored the look of irritation that crossed the old man's face.

"Why did Sasuke hate my dad so much? Weren't they supposed to be teammates?"

The old man went still and said quietly, "It wasn't just Sasuke, kid, for a very long time, everyone with the exception of old Sarutobi Sandaime hated your father."

Hito's mouth dropped open, "Everyone?"

"Everyone."

"But why?" When his question was met with silence he said, "You're not going to tell me..."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because the why of it no longer matters."


	7. Pretty Prety Princesss cont again

I just noticed in the last chapter - I did spell my pen name wrong ahahahhaha - maybe I should fix that - doh! This took longer to write than anticipated...why? Well I wasn't planning to include why Konohamaru thought of the palm as a princess...but apparently not just Haku wants this question answered. So after some rather random research there is now 'unofficially' some folklore-ishy almost an allegoric chaos invented soley by me. The names and things used are actually related in an odd way and so there's a story within the cake story within the bigger story - oh my. I also found writing story narrative from Naruto's POV vexing - but hopefully it turned out okay. I realize Naruto can be a bit disconnected from the detail of things, but...aahh, he does tend to remember the strangest things so you'll have to let me know if that part comes off as remotely believable. So with that horrifyingly long bit of non-sense out of the way...off we go.

...you're all in trouble now...

**Recipe for Disaster**

**Pretty Pretty Princess (cont...again)**  
I blame Haku

by achitka

* * *

Sitting near her bedroom window, Sakura watched her son as he set up his makeshift stove. It worried her that Hito was spending so much time with that one, but she supposed it was her own fault she should have realized something was up, the first time Hito failed to graduate from the academy. While it made her wonder, she wasn't overly concerned. When he failed two more times...she got suspicious and forced the truth out of her daughter and that's when she found out about Hito and Futa's little 'agreement'. At that point she wasn't sure if she should be angry or proud of her two oldest. Though it was more than apparent it was more than just concern for his brothers that was motivating Hito now. 

When Naruto told her about Hito's recent jump in chakra activity, it was not what she wanted to hear, but it was also something she couldn't deny either. Somewhere around the time his sister was named as a candidate for the chuunin exams, Hito must have decided he was falling behind. More than once she'd overheard Mi and Yon complaining to their Sensei about Hito's attitude, so she started to keep closer tabs on her oldest son. So far, Hito was keeping his temper mostly under control, but she wondered how much longer he'd be able to do that.

Still it concerned her how his foul moods were slowly getting the better of him. Whenever it happened, he simply stopped listening and she knew Moegi was doing the best she could with him, but Hito could be so hard to rein in when he got like that...he was so like his father in so many ways. When she suggested to Naruto that Hito needed to find an outlet to put all that extra energy to good use, she'd hoped he'd handle it himself. But, as usual, the world outside of Konoha was making its presence felt within the village and the Hokage had his hands full not just the usual mechanizations of the feudal council but the chuunin exams as well. There was just no way for him not to be in attendance for the upcoming main matches in Suna. She was actually relieved when he told her he had someone in mind to give Hito the extra training...but why that one?

"Naruto, I hope you know what you're doing," she said to herself.

The sound of the doorbell pulled her attention away from the pair and Sakura reluctantly left the window to answer it.

* * *

The old man did not look toward the window, he knew she was there and resisted the urge to growl. To do so would likely inspire more than a few questions from the boy that the old man had no intention of answering. Like his father, this one had a habit of asking disconcerting questions so the old man sat quietly, waiting. When Hito looked up again, the familiar presence from the house faded and the old man pulled his senses back and returned his full attention to the task at hand and the boy in front of him. 

He listened to the boy's heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing. Hito was unusually upset, while this was not completely unexpected considering how little the boy knew about things, it was worrisome. From what the old man had gleaned from the boy so far, it was obvious that Hito's motivations were often good ones. He really did care about his family and friends, but the boy was too easily controlled by his misdirected anger, something the old man was all too familiar with. It was a dangerous condition for any shinobi, but potentially lethal in this one. Instead he focused on the fact that the boy was so easily distracted that he'd yet to ask the old man his name, so there was still a good chance of correcting that.

"So what happened next?" Hito asked as he handed off a plate of food to the old man.

Not quite the question the old man was expecting but he decided not to think about that and started up his story as if Hito's previous outburst had never happened.

* * *

Naruto looked up into the oak tree trying to decide if the chakra he felt was dangerous. It was familiar but he couldn't quite remember why and since it wasn't attacking he decided there was no threat. Shrugging, he sighed and looked around. While he was not at all sure where they were, he was almost positive they were in the Uchiha District...somewhere. There was a standing rule in the village that this place was off limits...to everyone. He and Konohamaru were definitely not supposed to be here. Still...Naruto looked back at the palm, the larger tree was most definitely dieing, even after everything they'd done, but the shoots were healthy. Almost as if the mother plant had used all its energy to keep the younger palms alive and healthy. Looking back at the palms he and Konohamaru laid out, Naruto determined that he'd gone this far with it, there was no point in not taking the palms with them, but to do that they'd have to leave the garden by the gate. He thought again of his cake and sighed. 

"Is something wrong Naruto-niichan?"

Naruto spared his groceries one last look before answering, "No, Konohamaru, let's finish this up."

"Okay, boss!"

As Konohamaru and Naruto finished their work and loaded the now potted palms onto a cart they'd found, Naruto asked, "So why was it so important we save your 'Princess' Konohamaru?"

"Don't you remember, boss?" Konohamaru asked as he picked up Naruto's bag of groceries and stuck his nose inside. "You were the one who told me about her."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. He had a tendency to tell Konohamaru all sorts of random stuff and said a bit warily, "How 'bout you refresh my memory, Konohamaru."

"Okay!" the boy shouted and handed the bag off to Naruto. Together they opened the large gate and the pair paused to check the street. There was no one around and Naruto decided they were definitely in the District. Just before they headed out, Naruto felt that chakra again, but this time he didn't stop to look around. If he was going to be the Hokage some day he'd have to start thinking like Kakashi-sensei was always telling him. So Naruto tried to ignore his nervousness as the stepped out into the empty streets. Konohamaru led the way and Naruto followed dragging the palm-laden cart behind them. He'd just have to be ready if it did attack.

"She's like the Princess..." Konohamaru continued. His voice cut through the silence and Naruto felt his heart skip a beat. "You know Naruto-niichan, the one who turned into a palm...I can't remember her name..."

But weirdly enough, Naruto did and stated confidently, "Her name was Kannonchikushima, and she wasn't a Princess, Konohamaru, she was the daughter of a poor farmer."

This was a story Naruto actually knew and it made him smile. It was one of the few old Sandaime told him that Naruto paid enough attention to that he 'got' most of the details. The old man must have noticed since he wrote it out for Naruto, complete with pictures. When questioned by others about its making the old man claimed that it was just a way to encourage Naruto to practice his reading. He even timed it so that it would be ready for Naruto on his sixth birthday, which surprised Naruto at the time. Finding it at the foot of his bed that morning with a small tag that read, _'Do your best!'_ It was odd to say the least since no one ever gave him anything on_ that day_ except possibly a colder than usual glare.

The gift had the desired effect and after reading it over and over, Naruto eventually committed it to memory. Once he'd accomplished that, he didn't want to take the chance that something would happen to the scroll and he pondered where he'd stashed it, he'd have to find it when he got home.

"Hey that's right!" Konohamaru cried, "they just called her Princess cause she gave up her life so the children of her village wouldn't get taken away and devoured by the evil tengu that found them in its forest." And the boy jumped as he lifted his hands in claw-like fashion.

"That's right, and her father was no ordinary guy either, he was once a great and wise shinobi...Sarutahiko, he was some kind of mountain ninja...anyway Kanhichishi... Konokushi... I'll just call her Kushima for short, she lived by herself-"

"Are you sure about that Naruto-niichan?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto thought about that for a moment. "Yup," he replied. "Her mother died when she was still a baby and when she was five years old her father got very sick."

"I don't remember any of that, how did she live? " Konohamaru asked.

"Aah, the farmer had a super secret bird jutsu," Naruto said and paused for a moment to pull the name of if from his memory, "Keigetsu no shima, I think. Anyway the jutsu gave whatever bird the farmer wanted to the power to talk."

"No way!"

"Hmmm now that I think about it, maybe it made Kushima able to understand the crow..."

"What crow?"

"I thought you said you knew this story, Konohamaru? The farmer had a pet crow named Suke and before the farmer died he cast two jutsu on Kushima, the first one let her talk to the bird and the bird could talk back, the other was a seal."

"What kind?"

"I don't remember right now, but it sealed up the rest of the old farmer's chakra onto Kushima's skin that left a mark in the shape of a silver tear on her left cheek. The crow stayed with her, looking after her and teaching her lot's of stuff, like how to read and other boring things. It even taught her some of her father's jutsu. Kushima only went into town every once in a while, but she always had the bird with her. 'Cause of that, the people in the village were afraid of her and stayed away from her and her bird friend."

"Is that why you live by yourself Naruto-niichan?"

"Aaaahh, Konohamaru, I told you before I have people who recognize me now, like you, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Sakura-chan and…" Naruto stopped short of adding Sasuke to that group and said instead, "and old Sandaime."

"But glasses teacher said-"

"Who you gonna believe, Konohamaru, me?" Naruto asked, "Or the closet pervert?"

* * *

The old man abruptly stopped the story. His head snapped up and he looked toward the house and said, "It's time for me to go, kid." 

Hito cocked an eyebrow and said, "I know my Mom can be scary, but she promised not to come back here."

The old man grunted, she wasn't the reason he was leaving, but it still amazed him how little this kid knew about his parents pasts. An itch between his shoulder blades reminded the old man he'd used too much chakra and had definitely spent too much time out. A second twinge brought him to his feet and he guessed it was going to take at least a few hours for him to recover, assuming he made it back to his apartment. Still, he thought, he hadn't meant to be seen and did a mental double take as he realized maybe he did. It was always difficult for him to tell. But she was only half of an old problem he'd never really come to terms with.

Over the years the old man managed to steadfastly keep himself apart from them and to this day it surprised him the lengths they'd gone to, to keep him from the death he'd so conveniently arranged for himself. There was a reason he'd never paid particular attention to the children and it wasn't just because to do so would admit there was still a connection between them. Even now, he was the only one to see the disturbing pattern of death that followed whenever their paths intertwined. It was a large part of what was making this little task more and more unsettling for him, and it remained a mystery to him why he'd gone to Naruto in the first place. Why would he do it knowing full well, something bad was going to happen? Maybe it would be better if Naruto dealt with this himself he was perfectly capable.

"So…"

"So what, boy?"

"Why are you still here?"

"That's an excellent question, boy. Why am I here?" the old man asked and Hito watched in confusion as the old guy got up and walked away. Glancing back at the house Hito noted his mother was no longer in the kitchen and something in the old guy's face made Hito wonder how well he knew her. As he was cleaning up, Mi and Yon appeared and immediately started up with their questions.

_So?_

"What?"

_Tell us  
Hito_

Sensing a rare opportunity Hito said, "I'll tell you everything, _after_, you guys clean all this stuff up."

_Damn it Hito,  
that's not fair!_

"Take it or leave short rounds," Hito said holding out the dishes. After conning his brothers into doing some more of his chores, Hito took them down to the playground near the park and sitting in the shade of a large palm he told them the latest. The three brothers discussed things and decided they still needed more information. Hito decided he'd take on the task of questioning their father. If the story was true then there was always the possibility he'd just tell Hito what he wanted to know. Yon was more interested in whether that scroll the old man talked about was still existed and volunteered to search their house for it. Mi took on the most dangerous aspect, pulling some info from their mother. Having decided on their course of action the three split up.

* * *

On his way to his father's office, Hito spotted the old man sitting on a bench in the park. Over the past few weeks Hito had been trying to decide what would be the best way to ask his father for some extra trainging. The opportunity to do so hadn't come up. His father being the Hokage was always busy and the whole thing was a serious pain in the ass. Hito approached the old guy carefully. It was pretty late in the afternoon but if he was still out there was no reason not to ask.

"What do you want boy?"

Hito heard the irritation in the old man's voice but plowed ahead with his question anyway. "Do you think I can learn how to..." Hito's voice failed under the scrutiny of the old man's unblinking gaze.

"No."

"Why not?"

"You're not ready."

"What kind of answer is that?"

"The best kind and the only one I'm giving."

"You won't teach me cause you think I stupid like my old man, right?"

"You are a cocky boy, ne? You can add that to the list of reasons. I personally don't think your father is as slow as you claim. People change from when they are children and he is the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village after all. Not the easiest title to achieve."

"If you knew him you wouldn't say that."

"You think so?"

"Just forget it."

"Tell me then Hito why did you choose to become a ninja? Even if you are the son of the Hokage there's no rule saying you had to be."

"I don't know, I guess I want to get more powerful...stronger-"

"But which is it? Power or strength?"

"They're the same thing."

"No, they aren't."

"Huh?"

"And that's exactly why you're not ready to learn anything from me. You should never make the mistake of confusing power for strength. You make think your father a fool, but he at least understands the difference between the two, you do not and that boy, is the real difference between you and your father and it is also why you're not ready to learn anything from me."

Hito's anger did a slow burn, what was with the preachiness all of a sudden? The old guy was lying, Hito wasn't sure about what but just a s quickly decided he wasn't going to be ignored any longer; besides the old man's superior attitude was really pissing him off. It bugged him since he met the old guy. Hito was ready enough and he was sure the old man knew it.

"You can't scare me off old man," Hito said evenly. He did not like being made a fool of and even though his brain shouted at him to just shut the hell up, Hito's anger tumbled out of his mouth anyway. "You're the coward! Face it, you ran from your supposed power, well I'm not afraid! I'll figure it out on my own, to hell with all of you!" Hito shouted.

The old man didn't stop walking, but Hito thought he saw a slight hesitation in the old man's step. He was tired of getting the run around from this guy, his parents and every other adult he'd had to deal with lately but he was totally unprepared for what happened next.

Moving far more quickly than Hito could track the old guy moved his hands through a series of hand signs and fixed an unwavering stare on Hito that stopped the boy in his tracks. Rattled by its intensity, Hito abruptly lost his nerve and tried to take a backward step but found he couldn't move at all as intense fear gripped him.

Grabbing Hito's still outstretched hand the old man plucked out a glass eye and curled Hito's fingers around it and hissed, "Not afraid? Do you know what happens to shinobi who travel the unknown paths in search of power?" Hito tried to pull away as the warm and slightly sticky glass was made contact, but the old man shoved Hito's hand up in front of his face forcing Hito to look at it. "Power alone will blind you to your strength. Just what will you do when you finally lose sight of those closest to you? Will you become willing to kill even them to gain more? Tell me, Uzumaki Hito…is this the power you crave?"

A red substance that looked a helluva lot like blood, began to ooze through Hito's fingers and he was struck then by an image of himself killing his family in a most horrific fashion. The blood dripped down his arm and the old man drew him close and whispered, "Or is it your greatest fear? I know what you felt. Why do you wonder what it's like to know you hold someone else's life in the balance? Is it the rush of adrenaline you want or something else? A feeling of intoxication? You'll become addicted to it and not even know it." Still unable to move Hito closed his own eyes to shut out the frightening images, it didn't work. "You're a fool if you believe yourself a better shinobi than the man you call father, boy. He's faced down much worse than me and at an age even younger than you. So tell me again how you're not afraid, eh boy?" The old man's tone mocked him, daring him to do anything but Hito was frozen in place. The iron grip loosened and Hito felt himself falling and just as quickly as it had manifested, the menacing presence vanished and the old man walked away leaving Hito sitting on the ground rubbing his wrist.

Looking at his hand, Hito noticed there was no blood, none at all. What ever power the old man possessed, Hito realized the old guy only let it surface long enough for him understand there was real power behind those sightless eyes. Now what? Hito's eyes wandered in the direction of the Hokage's tower. The light, he knew was to his father's office was still on, so chances were, he was still there.

* * *

One last note: if, by chance or misfortune you haven't quite figured out who the old guy is by now, I'll definitely spill it in the next. 


	8. Teme

As promised the old guy - gets a name - try not to be upset if he isn't who you thought he was...I know how you feel, since he didn't tell me for at least a couple of chapters...don't ask. Anyway, I still owe Haku more of Kushima's little drama...and another piece of cake...there are ducks involved so it's taking me a bit longer to iron out the details...just couldn't fit it in this part (or the next) I do so apologize. Here's hoping you enjoy anyway - feel free to ask whatever comes to mind...and as always - thanks for reading!

I still own quite a bit...just not this...damn that sucks

**Recipe for Disaster**

**Teme**

by achitka

* * *

Mi and Yon returned home with their mission purpose well in hand. Find the scroll and pump their mother for more information. Yon headed for the attic, it was creepy, but there were lots of boxes up there, so that was probably the best place to start. Staring at the pile of boxes neatly stacked in the corner, left the boy wondering just where he should start…his parents sure had a lot of stuff. 

While both boys were technically deaf, they'd learned a way of 'hearing' that was a bit unconventional, but effective just the same. As they often did before the started any operation, the pair 'synced' their chakra streams. Since they'd been doing it since they were very young, they didn't have a clear idea of exactly how it worked, though lately they'd been trying to figure that out, since not everyone could hear them when they did choose to speak. It didn't matter how far apart they were but it was also why their voices were nearly identical. This not only allowed them to keep track of where the other was, but each could 'hear' what others said around them.

Mi made his way through the house, wondering where his mother was when he spotted her in the back yard. She was sitting on a low stone bench next to the pond, near the place Hito was when they'd returned home earlier. Taking a deep breath he walked out into the yard. Expecting her to turn as he approached, Mi was surprised when she didn't. Instead she just sat staring into the water watching the koi as they swam about. When she did turn toward him, Mi was a bit alarmed by how very sad she looked.

_Mom, are you alright?_

Her expression softened as he came nearer as she smiled and said, "I'm fine Mi-chan, how was your day?"

_Okay, I guess. _

Mi found himself at a loss as to how to ask the questions he'd come up with, this was going to be harder than he thought. Sitting down on the ground next to her, he rested his head on her leg and thought it over. She absently stroked his hair and Mi realized there probably wasn't the good way to ask, so decided he'd do what Hito always did; just spit it out and figure out the rest later.

_Um, Mom, has dad ever uhhh, cooked anything for your birthday?_

Her hand stilled only briefly and she answered, "That's an odd question, Mi-chan, where did that come from?" Mi didn't respond and his mother then asked, "Were you planning to ask him for a recipe? If it's not instant ramen we all know your father's cooking tends to end up badly and since my birthday is a good six months off, why do you want to know?"

Mi sat up and tried hard to come up with an acceptable answer, it wasn't coming to him so he replied, _I dunno, just wondered._

"I see," she said and rose from the bench. "It's almost time for dinner, why don't you come inside and root your brother out of the attic for me?" As she walked back toward the house she added, "Mi-chan, be sure you two put away everything when your done. Dinner will be in an hour."

"Hai..." Crap, that did not go at all how he'd hoped.

…mission failure...

* * *

Yon already went through several boxes when one in particular caught his eye. It was covered in random writing and doodles but it was also near the back of the pile and Yon sighed as he began moving the others out of the way. After dragging it out he sifted through the papers inside. Most were what looked like old homework...and a lot of them displayed remarkably poor grades. Setting that stuff aside, Yon reached in and pulled out an old ratty looking stuffed ninja doll. Yon snorted, it looked a lot like the Rokudaime Hokage, complete with hitate pulled down over one eye. This box was starting to get interesting. Reaching in again, he came out with three different color forehead protectors, all tied together at the ends. Only the blue one appeared damaged though. It had a deep scrape that ran completely through the leaf village symbol. This surprised him a little since he knew how they were made. He traced it with his finger and was surprised by how deep the scratch was. 

Still that wasn't what he was after and set them aside and reached deeper into the box. When his fingers came across the smooth metal of a scroll cylinder, Yon quickly yanked it out. The tag that was still attached, did have some writing on it, but it was faded.

_She's on to us Yon. _

_Yeah, I heard, but check this out. I think this may be it._

Yon tapped the scroll case and both sat staring at it until Mi said, _The geezer wasn't lying._

_Nope._

_What now?_

_Mom said dinner wasn't for an hour, I say we read it._

_What if it's not..._

_What if it is._

Mi nodded and both sat in down near the window and opened the scroll.

* * *

Hito's attempt to slip quietly into the Hokage's office failed when he somehow managed to catch his foot on a decorative rug near the door and fell with a grunt to the floor. When he lifted his head the amused face of his father met him and Hito sighed inwardly. This was not how he wanted this to go. Running his question through his head again and having a chance to actually think about it, Hito realized, it really was a dumb question but knew his father really was the only one likely to give him a straight answer. Everyone else...standing up, he pushed the door closed and noted his father was already back to glancing over the documents in front of him, moving them to different piles after either signing them or not. He never liked interrupting his father at work, but it was already past dinner and he did come all the way here. 

"Pop?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Will it take long?" his father asked not looking up from the mound of papers. "As you can see, Nara's all but buried me in paperwork again."

_So that's a no,_ he thought. Hito's temper flared and turning to leave he yanked the doorknob hard. There was a snap and Hito stared dumbfounded at the lump of twisted metal in his hand. He continued to stare at it in disbelief until his anger and frustration spilled over and Hito punched the door. The sound of cracking wood brought him back to himself and Hito gaped as the door split in two and collapsed around him hitting the floor with a pair of loud whumps.

Standing on the other side of the now missing door, Nara Shikamaru stood with a several scrolls wedged under his arm, an almost shocked expression on his normally bored face. His other arm was raised as if to knock, but when he caught sight of the boy in front of him, Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. Hito glanced at his father and groaned. No longer signing papers, his father sat behind the desk with his chin resting on his hands that amused look back on his face. Hito dropped the remains of the doorknob and sighed as his shoulders drooped.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru said stepping past Hito and dumping the scrolls into the already voluminous pile on the desk.

"Aaaahh...you're killing me Nara," his father said eying the mound with a twitch.

"These are the last. You also wanted to know when Team 4 got in. They're in the second debriefing room waiting for you and I am out for tonight."

With his father's attention on his assistant, Hito decided now would be a good time to leave, but stopped when his father called him back.

"Hold on Hito, you said you had a question."

Hito's eyes flicked from his father to his assistant. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as his attention locked on the genin for a brief moment. Hito remembered his father saying that Nara Shikamaru was most likely the smartest man in all of the Konohagakure and there was something decidedly disturbing in the way his father's assistant studied him. Hito wondered if the man was calculating his worth in that short space of time. There was no indication of what, if any conclusion he came to since his face remained impassive. Hito watched the man as he headed for the door and Hito stepped aside as Shikamaru passed by and Hito heard him mumble, "Troublesome..." as he exited the room shaking his head. Hito watched him as he disappeared around the nearest corner and all but jumped out of his skin when he turned to find his father in triplicate right next to him examining the doorway.

"That's one helluva right hook, ne?" his father asked the bunshin on the right.

"Cause he's my son!" the bunshin declared.

"Damn right," the other piped in. All three stood with arms crossed, nodding their satisfaction and Hito sighed. His father was such a goof. It made Hito wonder why he was ever selected to be Hokage. Still Hito smiled in spite of himself when his father's hand dropped onto his head giving his hair a tousle. That really was a good punch.

"You," his father said to the first kage bunshin, "Go talk to Team 4, make sure to remind Konohamaru they're not to discuss what they were doing with anyone outside of my office." The bunshin nodded then disappeared through the door in the same direction Shikamaru had taken earlier. Hito took it to mean that Konohamaru must have said more than he was supposed to last night, not that he'd said much. His father then pointed a disdainful finger at the desk and said to the other bunshin, "You, go see to that mess and make sure you read them completely before you sign them this time." The replication sighed as he nodded and headed for the desk. "Alright Hito-kun, let's go."

"But..."

"But what?"

"Is it alright to leave him...by himself?"

"Why not? He's me."

Hito certainly couldn't argue with that so he followed his father out the door toward the outer stairwell. It was easy to forget the nature of his father's bunshins. They were more than just the chakra shadows he could manage; they were actual physical copies of his father. Each was quite capable of independent thought and it made Hito wonder how many times his father had pulled that trick to get out of doing the paperwork he so despised. As they continued down the stairs, Hito noticed his father's hair had already changed color, going from blond to a deep black and by the time they reached the bottom, his face had changed as well. Black eyes now replaced blue and Hito blinked, he'd seen that face somewhere before and recently.

"I'm feeling rather hungry," his father said coming to a sudden halt, "and I'm guessing you wanted this conversation to be uninterrupted, right?" Hito nodded, his father's voice changed along with the rest of him. It was much deeper and again familiar but Hito couldn't place it._ Just weird_, he thought as his father continued, "Then I suggest you do the same, it's good practice and then we'll go find some food."

Hito snorted, _find some food_, usually meant a stop at his father's favorite ramen shop. Trying to copy his father's 'look' Hito smirked as at the last second he decided to take it a step further and transformed into a strikingly pretty blue eyed, dark haired...girl.

His father's mouth dropped open and after shaking himself out of it said, "Whoa, not bad son, but you might want to tone it down a bit."

"Do I have to, Poppie?" Hito pouted and was inwardly pleased at how girlie his voice sounded. Poppie was a name Futa used on their father whenever she wanted something she'd been told no about, it never worked but his father's expression just then was priceless.

"Yes you do, believe me, those all by themselves will attract attention."

Hito realized just what his father was on about and rolled his eyes but complied as a plainer less voluptuous girl appeared in its place. "It's creepy when you stare like that, Pop."

"Be glad your mother isn't here," he said and shuddered.

Moving down the street, the disguised Hokage and his oldest son made their way toward restaurant district. To Hito's surprise they did not go to the ramen shop, instead they stopped at Hito's favorite kaiten-zushi restaurant. His mouth was already watering as they stepped into the brightly lit dining area. The green on blue tiled walls gave the aura of being underwater and Hito grabbed a pair of chopsticks from a nearby container. They took seats at the large circular counter and Hito eyes were locked on the conveyor belt in front of them. Every kind of sushi he could imagine trundled by and Hito immediately snagged three plates of nigri, two of temaki and another one stacked high with norimaki.

"Itadakimasu," Hito murmured as he snapped the chopsticks apart and began eating.

His father pulled a few plates over and waved to the attendant for some drinks. "Tea for me and milk for...eh...her."

"Comin' up!"

"So what's on your mind that couldn't wait for a few hundred hours of mindless paperwork?"

Now that he had his father's full attention, Hito wondered if he should even ask his original question. It was pretty stupid, but damn, he really wanted to know the answer. So he swallowed down the temaki he was chewing and took a sip of his milk while trying to figure out the best way to ask. His father was giving him that _'spit it out already' _look but at the last second Hito decided maybe he really didn't want to know and made up a completely different question.

"Did you really blow up the Third Hokage's office with a cake?" Hito asked in a rush.

His father's response was not at all what Hito was expecting. Instead of telling him it was none of his damn business his father looked thoughtful as he tapped his chin with his chopsticks and asked, "Cake? What kind of cake?"

_I knew it, the geezer was lying, there probably never was a cake,_ Hito thought. "It doesn't really matter, Pop."

"Of course it does. Otherwise we wouldn't be sitting around stuffing ourselves with sushi."

"Ooookay...it was a birthday cake-"

"Birthday cake? Tch, give me a minute to think about it. Anyway your Sensei tells me you've mastered tree climbing."

Hito was momentarily surprised his father even knew about that. "Yeah, it was a lot harder to learn than I thought it would be. I mean Mi and Yon picked it up with no problems at all."

"Try not use those two as a measuring stick, Hito-kun, from what I gather they have chakra control almost on par with your mother. I had to train a hundred times harder than her to pick up that trick."

"Really?"

"Mmmmf," his father said nodding with a mouth full of sushi. Hito noticed his father's small smile and wondered again about his original question. What could his father have done to make everyone hate him? No one hated him now...his mother certainly didn't and he wondered whether he should get his brothers involved, but discarded that idea. He'd just have to figure it out on his own. Besides didn't the geezer say whatever it was didn't matter anymore?

Hito was pulled back from his musings when his father said, "By the way, your sister passed the second exam."

"She did? Ha...I knew Futa could do it."

"Well, she hasn't done it quite yet, there are still the main matches to get through, but I'm sure your sister will manage." He took a sip of tea and added, "While we're on the topic, your mother and I will be heading for Suna in a few weeks, so I need you to make sure you keep a close eye on your brothers while we're gone."

"No! Come on, Pop, can't Sensei do it? I wanted to go too!"

"That's not possible, and they are your brothers, not hers," his father said. They went back to eating their meals in silence until;

"Oii!..." his father's eyes went wide. "Aaahh," and Hito gaped as his father actually blushed.

"What?"

"I remember the cake now. Damn bastard..."

"Really?"

"Yes, but I don't recall blowing up old Sandaime's office. Where would you get an idea like that? You must not have heard the whole thing."

Hito shrugged.

"I meant for it to be a surprise. It didn't work out quite the way I planned, but I can definitely say it surprised her."

"So, Mom really did hate you-" Hito stopped when his father choked and Hito realized what just came out of his mouth. He hadn't meant for it come out that way or even at all and his earlier misgivings came back to life as an odd smile slid onto his father's still transformed face and henge or no, Hito recognized it. It was that weird sort of forced smile that only appeared when his father was working to control his temper. The silence stretched and his father took a long sip of his tea to clear his throat and after a moment of contemplation said, "Hate is such a strong a word, Hito-kun. Let's just go with, back then she didn't feel the same way about me as I did her. There was also the fact that she was head over heels in love our team mate, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," his father said returning to his former humor, "she was quite the fan girl, but to be honest most of the girls were. I guess it's just lucky for us both I managed to change her mind."

Hito sighed and made a mental note, not to bring the subject up like that again. He went through another plate of norimaki before he asked, "What ever happened to him anyway?"

"That's an even longer story, but I'm sure you could tell me better since you've been having lunch with him every day since you got back from your mission."

"You knew about that?"

"There's very little that goes on in this village that I don't hear about eventually-"

"Hey wait a minute, Pop, you mean that blind guy is...he's freakin ancient!"

"We're actually the same age."

"No way."

"Way..." his father said trailing off. Hito looked over to see his father pop more sushi in his mouth and close his eyes. After a brief moment his father's eyes opened and his expression changed. Hito recognized the irritation that had crept into his father's face, and was a bit surprised when it shifted suddenly to one of concern. Had something happened? Hito got even more worried when his father said, "I am very sorry Hito, I was rather enjoying myself, but I have to go."

"Now?"

"Yeah, duty calls, but I need you to do something for me. It's important so I also need you to do it as quickly as possible, no stops on the way." Hito nodded so his father continued, "Go home and tell your mother, I forgot the password again."

"You forgot the password?"

"Yes, I forgot the password _again_ and make sure you say exactly that, she'll understand."

"Ooookay..." Hito replied. It was a stupidly random request, but then this was his father. After stuffing the last few norimaki into his mouth, Hito ran out of the restaurant and headed up the hill toward his home.

Turning back to his plate the Hokage swallowed down the last of his tea before paying for their meal. He walked calmly out of the restaurant and took a deep breath while releasing his transformation jutsu. The empty air beside him shimmered and four kage bunshin appeared. The bunshin nodded then split off in opposite directions. The Hokage didn't immediately recognize the oily feeling chakra, but he knew it was in his memory somewhere. A decidedly disturbing turn of events and if its presence was this deep in the village...that was a very bad thing. How many...one...two...three? He paused when the chakra he felt, vanished only to be replaced by the approach of another well-known presence from behind.

"So you felt it too?" the Hokage asked not turning around.

"Yes, unfortunately, but where's the fourth one going?"

"Home, there are at least three and whatever it is that's crawled into the village, I want to be sure nothing happens before Hito gets there. He's actually a very capable ninja when he needs to be. He's just a bit of a hot head if he thinks you're messing with him, but I'm sure you know that. Nothing pushes those buttons faster than a mouthy genin, eh?"

"Is that supposed to be some kind of knock?

The Hokage favored the other with a quizzical glance and answered, "Not at all."

"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't borrow that face."

The bastard was definitely upset about something, but as usual it was going to he difficult to tell what. Deciding to push a little harder the Hokage asked, "Why not? You're not using it and you've been perfectly happy behind that mask you've created for yourself." Walking at a leisurely pace the other fell into step beside him. He's definitely upset. "I warned you, what would happen if you talked too much, but even you can't blame him for looking the way he does, can't fight genetics. I am ever curious as to how he ended up with that color of hair though."

"He's your son."

"What's with you today, teme, of course he's my son." When the other did not respond, the Hokage said, "Since you started this conversation, why don't you tell me what's on your mind? It's not like you to turn up out of nowhere just to chat."

"I'm not here to chat I'm just letting you know I've changed my mind, Naruto, you should train him."

"Eh? What's brought this on? Isn't this what you said you wanted? It's too late to stop now."

"I know what I said, but I have my reasons."

"Is it because of that? And don't ask what 'cause I know if I can sense it you can too. But even that doesn't worry me half as much as his growing irritation with the pace of his training."

"There are plenty of other jounin, you can't force me to, Naruto."

"Force? tch, the last time I tried to force you to do something it almost killed me. Nope. I have no intention of forcing you to do anything."

"Then we're agreed?"

"No, we're not and you already know why. You were the one that came to me and even if I didn't want to admit it then, you were right."

"No, I was wrong."

"It's not like you to lie, teme, so what's made you so stubborn about this? Hito clearly needs to learn how to deal with that power of his. He still doesn't even realize it's there. I'm not so dumb that I don't see the problem and I can't help him with that, but I know you can."

"No!"

Naruto turned and came to a dead stop blocking the other's path. "Before you get worked up or I do something really stupid I think I best remind you of a few things you seem to have forgotten, teme. Believe it or not, your continued presence in the village isn't exactly welcome. I've already put my position at risk by allowing you to remain in Konoha as the council puts it: unfettered and unsupervised after your last disappearing act. There are plenty loudmouths on the feudal council that would just as soon see you dead as gone, Sasuke."

"Don't talk at me like you know what you're saying, you idiot, we both know better. I don't need your protection."

"I'm not offering it, you dumbass!" Naruto shot back. "The only reason I mentioned it and the only reason I agreed to any of this is because of that promise you made to Sakura-chan, and no one is allowed to break a promise to my wife, least of all you."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

Naruto didn't answer and the silence dragged as the two men stood stock still in the middle of the street glaring. One of Naruto's bunshins 'checked in' reminding the Hokage how this would be a really bad time to lose his temper with the bastard…really bad so Naruto unclenched his jaw as he threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"Meh, it's whatever you want it to be. If a threat is what's required...feel free to think of it that way." When the other didn't respond Naruto turned away and continued up the street. He'd only taken a few steps when he added, "Aaaah Sasuke, there is one other thing that I almost forgot. Since you thought it was a good idea to tell Hito that damn cake story, you might as well know I may have let your name slip."

"You what?" Sasuke said behind him.

"Sorry, but being the idiot that I am, it never occurred to me that you hadn't told him. Unlike me, Hito remembers stuff. He can also be a bit obsessive, so you can expect lots of questions the next time you see him. Think of it as payment for the cake," Naruto said and somehow managed to suppress a smile as he continued walking.

The other stopped and when his presence vanished, the Hokage sighed, once again amazed by his own stubbornness. It was an aspect of his personality that hadn't changed much and it was probably why almost every conversation with Sasuke ended so badly. Hito must really be getting under his skin and it worried Naruto that the teme was trying to ditch his son already but he had no intention of letting Sasuke off the hook that easy, somethings spooked him though. Naruto was still lost in thought when he turned the corner where his assistant joined him.

"It's good to see your sessions with Hyuuga have done you some good," Shikamaru said as they continued up the street.

"Not really...I still wanted to pound some sense into him."

"Ah, but you didn't Hokage-sama. So what's happened that your bunshin couldn't tell me?" Shikamaru asked.

"I hate when you call me that, if I didn't know better, Nara, I'd swear you were mocking me. As for the other," Naruto said looking at the open window of his office. "I don't know, but something just attacked me at my desk."

* * *

What? 


	9. Teme cont

Uh things start to get a bit weird for a few - but yeah - such is the way it goes. Here's hoping you enjoy anyway - feel free to ask whatever comes to mind - thanks for reading!...and as always because Hououza is the best and Haku is curious - off we go

Working for a better tomorrow by sharing teh love of 2 dimensional manga people!!! - go me

* * *

**Recipe for Disaster  
Teme (cont.)  
**

by achitka

* * *

While Hito remembered his promise to go straight home, he still made one stop. It was only a short bit out of the way, so he didn't think twice grabbing a few magazines at the newsstand near his home. Entering the house through the open kitchen window, Hito dropped the magazines on the counter and opened the refrigerator. Snagging some leftover chicken legs, Hito bit into one and while holding it with his teeth, pulled the milk out. Grabbing a glass, he filled it to the edge and left the carton on the counter. Milk sloshed over his hand and he paused only long enough to take another sip as he headed to living room to find his mother. Pushing the door open, Hito came to a dead stop as senses were assaulted by that nasty chakra he'd felt the other day. Looking to his left he cringed at the sight of whatever it was that had his mother and brothers backed into a corner and let go of the glass. All three were breathing heavily and the room was a wreck, but no one looked seriously injured. 

The glass shattered on the tiled dining room floor and the monstrosity's head whipped around to face him. It hissed in his direction through some of the nastiest teeth Hito had seen in the twelve years he'd been alive. Shaggy brown mottled fur covered ever inch of its small dog-like body and Hito dropped to a crouch, but never got a chance to move. It was always a mistake to take your eyes off an opponent, especially if that opponent was his mother. She smashed into it with kick that sent the creature straight through the wall smashing into the thick brick walls that made up their home. Before the dust even had time to fall, she followed after it, punching it hard enough to finish the hole, sending it rolling into the street. Calling for the boys to follow, they dropped into their practiced formation and followed their mother out of the house.

Still the creature still had some fight left in it and was struggling to its feet even as all four of them attacked at once. His mother laid into it again sending the monster straight up into the air and all three boys launched themselves after it. Hito smiled as his brothers punched the creature as it passed by chanting; Uz! U! Ma! Ki! As Hito turned in the air he focused as much chakra in to his foot as possible and brought it down on the creature's head as he shouted, "Rendon!"

With great satisfaction Hito watched...whatever the hell it was, smash into the street hard enough to dent the cement. Nobody messes with my family he thought dropping back down to the street the three circled it, preparing to finish it off.

"Don't kill it! And make sure you stay clear of it's mouth!" their mother ordered and the boys backed off. "Hito, Yon, you two secure it, we need to figure out what that thing is, help should be here soon. Mi-chan, come here so I can have a look at that bite."

It wasn't a big wound and Mi looked a little miffed at being singled out, but did as he was told. The skin on his left lower arm around the bite was already very red and swollen. "Please sit for a moment," she said.

The boys finished tying up the unconscious creature and found they were surrounded on all sides by dozens of Konoha ninja. Without looking up from what she was doing, his mother said, "Please someone go find Yamanaka Ino and ask her to come to the hospital."

Hito watched as his mother pushed at the wound causing a small amount of yellowish fluid to dribble out. "Why is there so much discharge already?" she wondered out loud. Ripping off a small piece of her medic uniform and yanking a hair tie and pencil out of her pack, she held the pencil in her teeth as she carefully wrapped Mi's small arm with the cloth before slipping the tie over the wound and up his arm. Placing the pencil between the cloth and the tie she turned it slowly.

"Hito, please come hold your brother's arm for me. Yon, I need bandages and at least a liter of clean water."

Yon disappeared through the wrecked wall of their home as Hito came up close and supported Mi's arm while holding the hastily constructed tourniquet in place.

"_It doesn't hurt"_

Hito could hear Mi's words, but they sounded even more wispy than usual. His mother's answer was more to herself than to Mi but what she said surprised Hito.

"Probably an anesthetic in the saliva, which means there's some sort of poison involved..." She leaned closer and whatever she smelled made her frown deepen. She pulled a knife and small bottle of clear liquid out of her pocket as she held Mi's arm firmly. Dumping some of the alcohol directly on the wound, his mother then cut along the bite mark. Hito felt his brother tense up as she continued with her incision.

"_That's really cold and it still doesn't hurt..._" Mi said this through clenched teeth. His breathing was only slightly heavier, but he was starting to sweat. The worry in his mother's face increased as Mi fidgeted and looked for all the world like he was getting ready to fall asleep.

"Ne, ne, Mi-chan, I know you are a strong ninja, so please stay awake for me," Mi nodded and settled back against Hito. Pulling off more material from her uniform, she wiped away the yellowish mess that was now steadily oozing from the bite. Yon appeared with the bandages and water while his mother continued to work on the wound, using her chakra to stop the bleeding and rebuild some of the tissue she's cut away. She continued in this fashion until the yellow discharge slipped back to a occasional trickle. Without looking away from what she was doing she said, "Hito, I want you to start easing up on the tourniquet, but only a slow half turn every 30 seconds, understand?"

"Hai." Hito did as he was told until the pencil slipped free.

"How did that thing get so far into the village?" Someone behind him asked.

"Mi-chan, stay awake, it's not time for bed yet," his mother chided. Hito could tell she was trying very hard to keep the emotion out of her voice.

"_Mmm'kay.._." Mi said, but it was obvious he losing that struggle.

When his father stepped out of the crowd, Hito suddenly remembered the errand he'd been sent on

_...It's important ...  
...do it as quickly as possible...  
...no stops..._

No stops...Hito caught his father's eye and knew he was somehow aware of his little detour. Hito opened his mouth to apologize, but that fake smile was already on his father's face as he knelt next to them. Taking hold of Mi his father gently lifted his brother out of his son's grasp and when their eyes met Hito went numb. It wasn't his father's thinly veiled anger that kept Hito silent, it was the disappointment in his father's eyes. Hito looked back at the tied up heap behind him realizing he'd screwed up royally this time.

...no stops...

His father stood up slowly and leaned closer to his mother as she continued to tend to Mi's wound. Hito wanted his father to shout at him and get it over with, but he didn't. Instead he said in a quiet voice, "Head to your sensei's house with Yon and stay with him until tomorrow and Hito, no stops."

Unable to speak, Hito's eyes fell to the ground as he slowly nodded. When he looked up again his parents and brother were gone and the crowd began to disperse. In fact the creature and every shinobi that was there previously were gone.

_Will he be okay? _Yon's voice was so full as anxiety, that Hito automatically pulled his brother closer. _What if..._

"He'll be fine, Yon. Mom's the greatest medic nin in the history of the village, ne?"

Yon nodded then burst out crying, he'd never been separated from Mi for more than a few minutes.

No stops...

"Let's get going, little brother," Hito said as he coaxed his brother onto his back and together they headed up the street toward his teacher's home. All the way there Hito was left to wonder if this would have turned out differently had if he'd gotten home that five minutes sooner.

* * *

Naruto sat across the bed from his wife in Mi's hospital room discussing the day's strange events. Since all but one of his bunshin had checked in, he filled her in on some details. Only the creature that attacked his bunshin in his office was unaccounted for. Shino, Kiba and Akamaru were tracking that one. It escaped when his kage bunshin 'poofed' itself out of existence, alerting Naruto to the problem. One creature was located and captured on the other side of town; the last and only one to do any harm was the one that infiltrated their home and injuring Mi. Shikamaru was quite sure the creatures were some sort of summons, since one of the two they'd captured disappeared on route to the holding facility. 

Sakura stopped him and after a moment and asked, "Naruto, do you know exactly what part of town?"

"No, do you think it's important?"

"If the second was any where near Sasuke's apartment then maybe… from what you said, the boys and I were the only ones to come into actual contact. We were also the only ones not wandering outside of our normal routine. Like you, that one wasn't where he should have been. Whoever did this knows our daily routines well enough that they were confident they would have the element of surprise and if it was a summons they may likely still in the village."

_Perfect,_ Naruto thought. As a precaution he'd already ordered all entrance and exit activity halted. A light knock on the door made Sakura frown but she made no move to answer it. The door slid quietly open and Shikamaru used hand signals to let the Hokage know the shinobi he'd requested, were in one of the doctor's offices at the end of the hall on the right. Naruto nodded and when the door closed, he frowned.

"Sakura-chan, I'm going to meet with the others, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

Sakura nodded, "I know, please try not to be too long this time, Naruto."

"I won't."

Stepping into the hallway Naruto created one bunshin, it nodded and continued up the hallway. The original quickly jumped through an open window nearby and disappeared. The bunshin Naruto walked down the hall and as he pushed open the door, he was shoved roughly from behind. The bunshin was thrown off balance for a moment and turned in time to see not just the sword as it swung toward him, but also the identity of his silent attacker.

"You!" the bunshin Naruto cried in surprise easily blocking the sword. "You're still alive…who'd have thunk it."

* * *

Hito stood on the roof of Moegi-sensei's apartment building looking out over the village. The clear night air held a chill that the genin tried to ignore as he examined the hospital, wondering which of the lit up windows was his brother's. 

"Hito-kun."

Hito's head snapped up at the sound of Moegi's voice, _Here it comes. I don't need this right now._

"I thought-"

"You thought?" Hito snapped back. His voice betrayed far more sarcasm than he intended, and Moegi growled but at that moment Hito didn't really care. As always it was out of his mouth before he could stop it and this time his sensei didn't even try to control her anger.

"Don't interrupt," she snarled as he shoved him. Hito flew backward and hit the rooftop hard enough that the wind was knocked out of him and even before he could cough, Moegi was there grabbing hold of his shirt. The jounin yanked him to a sitting position and said evenly, "I thought you were told you needed to stay with your brother?"

"He's fine, he's asleep!"

"That wasn't the question Hito."

"Moegi," his father's voice brought the jounin to a halt. Hito smirked but went still when he saw his brother curled up in his father's arms. "I'll deal with the genin from here."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Moegi said and released Hito's shirt as she turned and asked, "How is Mi, will he be alright?"

"The doctors think he'll be up and around in a few days, but he may not be able to resume his duties right away."

The jounin visibly relaxed and the knot in Hito's stomach he didn't even know was there, unclenched. The Hokage of the Hidden Leaf then handed off his youngest child to his jounin-sensei and as she walked toward the exit, Hito caught the look of concern in her eyes and Hito's eyes went wide when he realized that concern was for him and not Yon. It was strangely quiet as his father approached and Hito felt a moment of panic as he wondered what his father was thinking. From the look on his father's face it was probably nothing good.

Picking himself up off the roof Hito did his best to keep his eyes straight ahead as he tried in vain to quell his growing anxiety. In some ways this was even scarier then what the old man did him. The only thing apparent to him at that moment were the two very important truths he'd somehow managed to forget. One he really needed to learn to keep his big mouth shut and two; the strongest ninja in all of the Fire Country was really pissed...at him.

His father's tone caught him off guard. He was expecting his father to shout at him, but he didn't. Instead his voice was deathly calm, it was a tone Hito had never heard before. His father never used it at home.

"Uzumaki Hito, don't you agree it's about time you adjusted your thinking?" Not waiting for an answer the Hokage continued, "By choice you are a shinobi now, a soldier in the Hokage's army and my subordinate. You are expected to do as your told, without question, especially in these types of situations." Hito blinked and realized the person his father was at home, was not the person who led the village. At this moment his father was all Hokage and Hito really was just another genin and as far as the Hokage was concerned, not a very good one. "I'm going to put you on notice. That means that if this sort of situation happens again, I'll have your name removed from the active shinobi listing and you'll be sent back to the academy, or if it warrants," and the Hokage paused as if what he was saying hurt, "I'll strip you of that status completely and you'll no longer be a ninja. Have I made myself clear?"

Shocked by the statement Hito didn't know what to say so he remained silent. _Would he really send me back?_ He wondered and if he'd been paying attention he would have seen the tiny narrowing of the Hokage's eyes at his lack of response. But as it was, he didn't and cried out when the Hokage flicked his hitate. The headband clattered to the ground and Hito wobbled to maintain his balance. There was only enough force behind it to get his attention, but it hurt nonetheless and averting his gaze, Hito stared at leaf symbol carefully engraved into the piece of metal on the ground and thought, _He really would do it._ For all his personal bitching of late, Hito really did want to be the best shinobi he could and he bit down on his tongue to keep his mouth in check as Hito stood straighter than he had for some time and responded to the Hokage's question, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"I know what your capabilities are, Hito. Do you really think I would set that sort of task for you otherwise?"

Hito knew his father wasn't talking about baby sitting his brother. If he'd made the effort he would have made it home a lot damn quicker than he did. _ I really am a dumb ass..._ and Hito decided the geezer was right; he wasn't ready to learn anything. He couldn't even follow simple directions given by the Hokage himself.

"No, I am sorry, Hokage-sama."

"I've been keeping a close eye on your training lately, you've made good progress but what's disturbing Hito is your impatience with your team mates and the disrespect you've shown your Sensei. You're going to end up killing everyone if you continue on the way you are, so I've decided I'm turning the task of your attitude adjustment over to the teme, I mean Uchiha Sasuke."

_The geezer?_ While in its way this made Hito secretly happy, he wondered how his father was going to get the old man to co-operate, he'd already basically told Hito to go to hell. His pensive expression made the Hokage smile in an odd way and Hito wondered what was so damn funny.

"What?" Hito asked. "You know he hates me, right?"

"That is unlikely Hito, if he did hate you, you'd be dead by now. The teme usually just kills the people he hates so it'll be in your best interests to do your best. I sort of have a standing agreement with him about such things and I won't interfere. Believe me when I tell you, being my son is not a plus. He and I…well that's not actually important but there's a good chance he won't go easy on you. Just make sure you watch your back with that one."

_Watch my back? Shit…_Hito's happy feeling about training with the old man went seriously sour, and he reminded himself the old guy wasn't as old as looked. He knew before it was going to be a lot more difficult than he originally anticipated and thinking of their encounter earlier, Hito wondered just how his father could get the old man to do something he'd already said he wouldn't…and he stopped himself again, his father was the Hokage, even the geezer admitted that much. _I am so screwed._

They slipped into that awkward silence and Hito's mind wandered back to the one question he been afraid to tackle earlier. What could have made everyone in the village hate his father? If the old man was going to train him, there was probably no chance he'd tell him the rest of that stupid cake story. It just sounded so unreal, so impossible that it made zero sense to him. His father was now his only source of information and thinking back to his father's earlier reaction he was that much more hesitant but Hito being Hito just had to know.

"Pop?"

There as a long silence before his father sighed and answered, "Yes, Hito-kun?"

"Remember before when I sort of said…uh…that mom…hated you?"

"My memory isn't that short, son."

"Uh…heh…what I said before…that didn't come out right and I wanted to…"

"To what?"

"Ask if it was true…did she?"

His father cocked his head and asked, "And that came out better?" Turning toward the stone monument carved in the cliffs, he smiled. "When I was a kid, my first data card listed my hobbies as pulling pranks and eating instant ramen. I was loud, impatient and desperate for attention. In other words, I was seriously annoying. Did I ever tell how I painted up the face on the stone monuments?" his father stopped when he caught the disbelieving stare Hito was throwing at him "What?"

"If you weren't going to tell me, you should have just said so."

"Wow, I guess Sakura-chan was right…" his father said to himself and almost looked as if he were going to argue that point but just as he did earlier in the evening his expression flipped and Hito tensed up. "I have to go back to the hospital."

"Are Mom and Mi okay? What do you want me to do?"

"Tell the teme, I need to speak with him directly and to come to the hospital as soon as possible…and Hito don't leave your brother alone for another minute, understood?"

"Hai!"

"Hopefully the teme will explain, I have to go, Hito."

"But he's not here!" Hito said in a panic.

"He's right over there," his father said sending an irritated wave toward a rooftop across the street.

"What? When did he get here?"

"He was here when I got here, Hito-kun."

"What? Shit..."

"No swearing...unless you're in a fight...gotta go," his father said and 'poofed' out of sight.

* * *

Curse you sages...curse you zelda!!!! aaauugghhhhH!!!1 -Prepare yourselves for the glorious ducks of doom!!! oh must be past my bed time :) 


	10. The Power of Two

Hey look at that, I managed to finish this part before Feb- heh...okay maybe not - but what can I say, I'm slow and easily distracted - so! Yesh damn those ducks...they are vexing me at the moment. Anyway, there's only one member of the Uzumaki family I've not checked in with and yes I know I'm wandering off on a tangent - but I really can't help it, Gaara is just too cool a character not to include so once again we're off...dattebayo

Still the supreme overlord of absolutely none of this and in need of some serious sleep...

* * *

**Recipe for Disaster  
by achitka**

**The Power of Two**

* * *

Sasuke leaned against a nearby wall as he listened in on the goings on one building over via the short wave as Naruto's bunshin talked to Hito. Sasuke barely suppressed a smile when the bunshin flicked off the boy's headband but he had to admit, Naruto certainly had a flair for the dramatic. If the boy wasn't listening before, he was definitely paying attention now.

"You're on, teme," Naruto said as the bunshin made its 'exit'.

"I'm curious why would you have one of your bunshins henge into Moegi?"

Naruto continued watching his son and said, "Right now, Moegi is on assignment with Konohamaru, Hito doesn't know that and I wanted to see for myself just how mouthy that boy of mine has been." Naruto turned toward him and frowned. "Apparently Moegi's been holding out on me. Kakashi-sensei would have knocked me into next week if I talked to him the way Hito does. Anyway it's likely he'll figure it out before long and if nothing else goes wrong tonight, those two should be back in a few hours. I'll fill her in when she arrives, either way Hito-kun should be a little less cocky...if only for few days."

"Hn." The painful twinge that sent him off earlier was turning into a dull throb and Sasuke took in a deep breath, amazed at just how far he'd pushed himself today.

"Thank you for returning Yon-chan, my children can be so…single-minded at times and to think they were so cute when they were small…make sure you come to the hospital after you terrify the boy some more. I'll have Sakura-chan take a look at you."

"I'm fine, Naruto."

"Aaah, don't be stubborn, besides there's something else I need to talk to you about."

"Why not just talk about it now?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked back across the street and said, "It's complicated..."

Noticing the strange expression on the Hokage's face, Sasuke's curiosity was piqued. He nodded in reply and Naruto gave him almost a smile in acknowledgment and disappeared. Another puzzle. For all the years that had gone by it was odd to see that look; it was a closest to confusion as he'd seen on Naruto's face in sometime, and if Naruto was willing to irritate Sakura, then it was likely something extremely unpleasant. This amused the Uchiha for some reason he couldn't quite understand, and decided to care about later and returned his attention to his reluctantly acquired student.

* * *

Hito looked in the direction his father indicated but didn't see anyone on the darkened rooftop across the street. Still if his father said the old man was over there he'd best wait where he was for the geezer to show up. Bending down, he picked up his hitate and noticed a small slice in the corner that wasn't there before. Hito hissed in pain, dropping it, after he ran his finger across scratch. The metal along the nick was a lot damn sharper than he expected and he stared as a small drop of blood oozed from a cut it created. How could he do that just flicking it off?

Moegi-Sensei's appearance surprised him since he didn't recall sensing her chakra, but he just figured he was distracted, not that he was doing what he should have been anyway but if he'd heard it once he's heard it a thousand times:

Distracted equals Dead.

Still why would he be that angry? It's not like he heard... Hito paused in his thinking; it really did all depend on when his Father actually arrived. Moegi-Sensei's worried face popped up in his memory and Hito looked back toward the roof exit. Hito groaned remembering Moegi-Sensei never called him Hito-kun…ever…especially after the fit he thrown about it. Ah, crap. That meant...he thought about his reaction to Moegi's question and Hito took a really deep breath as he came to the realization that Moegi-Sensei wasn't Moegi-Sensei. She was one of his father's bunshin. Having a big mouth was one thing, having a big mouth and shooting it off to your superior was something completely different and he thought, _No wonder I'm on notice…I am in way more trouble than I thought..._ Even still, Hito's anger flared knowing how easily his father had tricked him. He'd been caught off guard but his anger stifled itself as he caught sight of the headband again. Picking it up, Hito examined the nick and thought_; He did that with barely a flick of his finger…crap, I'm lucky my head is still attached. _It made him wonder what his father had done with his chakra to cause it.

Hito returned his attention to the world around him when the old man's chakra turned up near by. He also didn't dare ask any of the four hundred questions currently jumping around in his head and reminded himself he better not push his luck...The whole 'on notice' had rattled him a bit. Somehow Hito doubted even his father would make up something like that, so he relayed the Hokage's message and waited for a response.

"You're unusually serious, boy, something wrong?"

"My fath-," Hito stopped himself and his hand tightened around the hitate. Shoving it into his pocket, Hito decided whatever he said to the old man would likely end up being heard by his father somehow and said, "The Hokage put me on notice…I can't afford another screw up today."

"I see…I'm guessing _the Hokage_ also informed you of your new training schedule?"

Hito took a deep breath and strained mightily to keep from asking the obvious question of why the old guy changed his mind. Since the chances of the old man not knowing what just happened were pretty damn slim, Hito instead gave a curt nod of his head. He wasn't at all sure what the bastard was smiling about now but the old man appeared to be taking a great of delight watching his internal struggle and Hito thought, _Great now I get to be goaded by a geezer who isn't…damn, this is gonna suck! _

When the old man said, "Fine, then we'll begin in the morning. This time you'll need to find me by 9am…oh, and bring your brother, apparently you two are a set." Hito suppressed a growl. Like he needed another reminder of what he was supposed to be doing and bit down on his tongue to hold back another smart remark. Again he nodded then turned and headed for the door.Just as he was about to leave the roof, Hito hesitated, there was only one way his father could have known the geezer was on the adjacent roof and now that he thought about it, only one reason the old guy would be there at all...Hito sighed, _Okay, Pop, I get it, you're not so stupid…_but didn't turn around as he said, "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Bringing my brother back." and Hito disappeared down the steps.

Sasuke waited a few minutes before heading toward the exit. Hito would likely get an early start in the morning, so as to not lose any time looking, while 'keeping an eye' on his brother. That meant he had two pursuers instead of just one this time, but since he'd already picked out a spot to wait, he wouldn't deviate from his original plan. It was a bit surprising to him that Naruto had guessed rightly since Sasuke was not expecting the boy to put together all that random information that quickly.

Up until today Sasuke thought Hito envious of his talented younger brothers. Hokage's son or not, people talked and it wasn't easy having siblings that managed by age nine what you didn't by age twelve. It made sense though, from what Naruto told him, Hito could have graduated from the academy when his sister did but the boy had purposely let himself lag behind. Now though, Hito was determined to make up for what he viewed as lost time, therein lay the problem.

The boy was definitely a loudmouth, but it was obvious he wasn't the overly cocky sort, that was good, but he tended to act without thinking and if he did hold any real jealousy for his brothers...still they were an interesting combination of instinct and intelligence, and it made Sasuke wonder if they were put under any real stress, would they be able to perform. Of course there was only one way to find out. Sasuke let out a snort, _One just as smart as his mother and the other almost as stubborn as his father…damn, this is gonna suck…_

* * *

Futa heard the howl of some animal in the distance, but she ignored it. Sitting at a small desk, she looked out the tinted round window at the lights of Suna. She really missed the forest that surrounded her home. Maybe that was why Futa stubbornly sat in the room she shared with her teammates. The hotel she was staying at was hosting a dinner for all the participants that had made it to the finals, and most likely her Sensei would ream her later, since the Kazekage was supposed to be in attendance, but she wasn't particularly hungry. Instead, for the past hour and a half she'd re-run that match through her head, picking it apart an attempt to weed out her mistakes. She knew there were way too many of them. It was only luck and that last ditch genjutsu that hit upon the one thing that terrified her opponent the most...spiders. Being the daughter of the Fire Country Hokage, expectations for her were pretty high, even if she was the only one on her team to make it through the prelims, she knew she barely made it through that match. Now with less than a month left to prepare, Futa was wishing she were anyplace else but here. She'd been here for almost three weeks and discovered she'd no liking for the desert…sand just got into everything.

A strong wind rattled the window of the small hotel room briefly startling her out of her thoughts. Futa frowned and went over to her bed. Pulling out her knapsack she dumped it and sifted through her belongings until she found what she was looking for. Why she was dragging around a picture of the four of them made her wonder, since the only thing that came in handy about having three brothers was the inordinate amount of time they spent trying to scare the bejeezus out of her. Still it surprised her how much she missed Hito's big mouth and her younger brother's mini traps. Everything was too damn quiet now and the restless nervousness she'd felt earlier returned as she looked out the window in the direction of the leaf village. Futa told herself it was just her imagination, told herself it was just her nerves on edge...still it wouldn't go away and she just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was happening at home.

Futa wasn't given much time to think about it though when the window she'd been sitting next to a few minutes earlier shattered and a small furry something came flying into the room. Futa cringed at the chakra that flew at her in waves from the little monstrosity. It reeked of oily death and Futa immediately stumbled back, whatever that thing was she knew instinctively if those nasty looking teeth touched her, she'd be dead.

Struggling up, she got momentarily tangled up with the chair she was just sitting in. Hitting the floor she landed on her back and scrambled to turn herself over in what she hoped was the opposite direction from what ever the hell that thing was. She came to an abrupt halt when her back bumped up against the wall. The creature wasted no time and launched itself from the floor directly for her head. Futa ducked and dove over the bed in the direction of the door. It snapped at her legs, but only managed to get itself a swift kick as Futa passed beneath it. It smacked into the wall with a thud but immediately regained its feet.

Reaching out Futa snagged a kunai in one hand and a small pouch in the other from the pile as she passed by the bed. Still off balance Futa threw the kunai and cursed when it thudded into the wall as her target managed to dodge the lethal object. This room was too small for a fight, she need to get out of there so Futa tucked and rolled as she gathered enough chakra in her fist to smash the door open and without slowing down sprinted up the hallway with the fuzz ball in hot pursuit. Having been built into the cliff face, the building itself had few visible windows and at the rate the fuzzy was gaining ground, Futa knew she'd never make the stairs so made a mad dash down the long main hallway for the window she remembered was around the next corner.

The damned fur ball was still catching up with her and Futa pushed herself to go just a little bit faster even though she knew it would make taking that corner a real bitch. Channeling what she hoped was enough chakra into her hand to make it stick to the decorative molding; Futa propelled herself at top speed around the corner. The molding creaked but held long enough for her to make the turn but at least she was going in the right direction when the wood snapped and her feet left the floor. Futa landed hard but rolled out of her fall to continue toward the window. She didn't remember the hall being this long, but then the last time she'd wandered down this way she wasn't being chased either. She heard a satisfying thud when the creature, being unable to stop, smacked into the wall as it attempted to follow behind her. Futa now scattered the contents of small pouch she managed to grab on her way out of her room. The painful high pitch sound the fuzzy let out made the girl smiled as small explosions sounded as the creature ran over them.

The window she was heading for was only a few meters away and Futa hoped she would have enough time to gather the chakra she needed to break through the thick glass. She still wasn't able to come close to the type of damage her mother could, but damned if she wasn't going to try. Throwing her fist into it full force, she realized too late, she wasn't wearing her gloves...shit! Too late to stop now and she had a really bad feeling that if she didn't make it in one blow, she was toast.

The window turned out to be made of sturdier stuff than she was expecting and only cracked while Futa's hand screamed at the abuse. Smashing at the window again with her foot, she widened the crack some, but only managed to create a small hole. Now she was seriously pissed off and Futa let loose a stream of curses that would make even a stalwart anbu blush.

A snarl behind made her spin around in time to see the nasty had caught up to her and she tried to duck as it launched itself toward her again. This was not the best tactical move, trapped as she was in this damned corner. The fuzzy hit the window, again widening the crack, rebounding at her. With nowhere to go Futa snagged the nearest piece of furniture in the otherwise empty hallway and struck the furball in hopes of slowing it down. The damn thing clamped its teeth down into one of the chair legs and Futa shook the chair in an effort to dislodge it, but that was not working. The fuzzy had bitten down so hard its teeth were stuck so Futa sent it flying away from her back up the hallway.

The chair shattered and the fuzz ball hit the opposite wall, bouncing once before it managed to get its teeth loose. The acrid smell of acid burning through the wood only confirmed Futa's earlier suspicions about those damned teeth. It watched her with its beady red eyes and snapping jaws. The damn thing knew she was trapped, weaponless and worse, jutsuless. The blow to the window had broken at least three of her knuckles and her wrist; she couldn't make hand signs even if she could have thought of one right then.

Gathering itself, the little monster commenced its attack with frightening speed. Futa however, had no intention of going down without doing some serious damage to that...that...whatever the hell it was and launched herself in turn.

In the moment before they collided Futa felt a strange gritty substance suddenly impeding her progress. Alarmed she struggled against it only to realize the fuzzy that should have reached her by now…hadn't. Looking in its direction she saw the sand that stopped her attack was at the same time engulfing the creature's small body. Futa watched in horrified fascination as the fuzz ball struggled in vain to free itself from the sand. This was something she'd only heard stories about and the panic in the little animal's eyes made Futa, in a perverse way; feel really bad for the fuzzy.

Futa stumbled back when the sand abruptly released her and began to form a wall in front of her that blocked her view. Futa slid to the floor, at the same time covering her ears as the fuzzy menace on the other side of the sand let out a painful sounding high pitched keen before it went suddenly silent. Lowering her hands, she took a deep breath to get control of her breathing. Futa leaned back against the wall as the sand in front of her collapsed and retreated around the corner. The slow approach of footsteps pulled Futa's attention away from the floor as a tallish, red haired man came to a halt in front of her. Futa stared up at the Kazekage as he stood quietly arms crossed ignoring the crumpled mass of flesh and blood on the floor only a few meters away. She had no idea why he of all people was here, but then, that didn't really matter and Futa let her muscles relax and blinked at the proffered hand in front of her. As the last of the sand made its silent journey back into the large gourd on his back he said, "Uzumaki Futa, you're late for dinner."

While her mother claimed that Gaara was actually quite funny, Futa didn't see it, but had to admit that was as close to a joke as she'd ever heard from the seemingly emotionless Kazekage.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama, I apologize for not leaving sooner." He helped her off the floor and she winced when she accidentally bumped her hand.

"You're injured?"

"Aaah, it's nothing serious, just a few broken bones and maybe my wrist..." Futa trailed off and stared at the floor. This was just too embarrassing.

"What the hell was that?" another voice said, making Futa start. Gaara cocked an eyebrow but didn't turn to face the speaker.

"I wouldn't touch it, Kankuro, even my sand rejected it."

"Eh? Yeesh," Kankuro said as he pulled his hand away, instead he reached back pulling out a scroll. Once activated eight tiny mechanical ninja emerged and circled the mess. None were more than 10cm in height and to Futa's surprise they didn't touch it, instead she watched intrigued as they arranged themselves around the mess and unrolled even smaller scrolls. Each clicked or clacked in turn making an odd sounding rhythm. A net, she assumed was made of chakra appeared and became increasingly complex. The rhythm and tempo sped up dramatically as the net finally encased the body before all eight little ninja stopped and the 'package' along with the mechanical ninja dissipated into smoke before being drawn into the scroll they'd recently emerged from. Futa stared at the scroll as Kankuro cast a seal. He then rolled it up and put it away.

"So it was after you," Kankuro stated looking past his brother. Futa pulled her eyes from the floor and nodded, noticing the Kazekage was again quietly watching her. While Futa was used to a certain amount of scrutiny, she always felt nervous around the Kazekage, even if Gaara was a long time friend of her father, she always found talking to him unnerving. Futa knew she was already close to her limit, but she still felt unusually light headed and blinked when she looked again. Now there were two Gaara's in front of her and the world started to dim. She shouldn't be this tired, thoroughly confused now, the thought was lost as the girl could no longer resist the sudden urge to take a nap and was unable to stop herself as she toppled over.

"What happened?" Kankuro asked. Futa was suspended just centimeters from the floor, sound asleep. "She was fine a minute ago."

"That creature was some sort of chakra leech. It's surprising she managed to last as long as she did," Gaara said, "That's why the sand rejected it once it was dead. Take her to the infirmary, have them make sure she doesn't have any other wounds besides the broken bones in her hand. I'll have Temari contact the Leaf, perhaps they will have more information."

"Why bother them with this?" Kankuro asked.

"We have well over 200 ninja on duty and perhaps a hundred or so stray foreign genin in the village right now but it was only after her and she's barely large enough to rate being a snack for a summons of that strength. Today was also the first time I allowed the names of any of the participants in the exams to be listed publicly. I made a point of keeping the names of the candidates secret until the list for the main matches was settled."

"So whoever did this, can control a strong summons, but likely isn't a ninja from Suna, eh?"

Gaara nodded.

Kankuro adjusted the chakra strings until the unconscious Futa was right in front of him. He deftly caught her as he released them. "I'll set a guard and get Baki working on it."

"It would be better if you watched over her yourself, the fewer who know about it, the better."

"Got it," and with a nod, Kankuro disappeared around a corner.

Gaara looked back at the spot where the creature's oily chakra signature still lingered. If not for that he would not have known it was in the village.

Closing his eyes, the Kazekage concentrated as a stream of chakra infused sand slid from the gourd. Dozens of eyes of varying colors formed and Gaara opened one. Covering the other with two fingers he concentrated on each in turn causing the unblinking eyeball to shoot off down the hall or through the hole in the window. It was unlikely there would be another attempt on the girl, but Gaara intended to make sure of it. The Kazekage had no intention of leaving anything over looked.

He'd felt chakra like that only once before, but the encounter was only a blurry memory in his head. The experience had not been a pleasant one though and the Kazekage decided not to return to the dinner but instead went to his office to think on it some more.

* * *

As Hito entered Moegi's darkened apartment, he was more than a little nervous. This was heightened by the fact that he couldn't feel his brother's chakra, his Sensei's, or even his father's. It was like there was a wall around him that his senses couldn't push through.

"Hito…"

The whispered voice nearly made Hito jump out of his skin. It sounded female but unfamiliar and Hito's fear immediately shifted to anger. His father really needed to give it a rest already and without thinking, took a swing at the speaker. His fist didn't come even close to connecting, in fact, the woman easily dodged the attempt and slipped behind him, grabbed him by the hair and Hito abruptly felt his feet leaving the floor. His eyes went wide as the floor rushed up to greet him and Hito grunted as the assailant stopped his fall by snatching the back of his shirt. Struck momentarily speechless as he was carefully lowered. The woman behind him now pressed her knee into his back and covered his mouth as the wood beneath him groaned at the unaccustomed pressure. Hito immediately started struggling, the person only pressed a little harder and hissed, "Listen."

Being unable to do anything else Hito did as he was instructed. Whoever she was, if she'd meant to kill him she would have done it already...or at least he hoped so. The footsteps out in the hall became more obvious as Hito lay his head on the floor. Keeping his eyes glued to the crack of light at the base of the apartment door, he sighed when the footsteps passed it and continued up the hall. He was just about to move when the hand returned to his mouth and the voice said, "Wait."

The footsteps returned and this time stopped in front of the door. The doorknob twisted, but the door was locked. Hito started when he heard the knob snap off and hit the floor. The shadow outside the door disappeared briefly, but after a moment they were back. "Your brother is five steps back, four left, two back, three right. You are to let nothing touch him."

The pressure on his back vanished and Hito got to his feet and pulled out a kunai. The woman was gone or at least Hito couldn't tell where she'd concealed herself. The wall that had dulled his charka senses earlier was still in place. Shit...he never realized how dependent he was on that ability. No time to worry about it now though and Hito stuffed it in the back of his brain to work out later...if there was a later. Okay, time to get moving again. Five steps back...four left...two back...three right and Hito's leg touched an overstuffed chair. They weren't in the bedroom. Hito's eyes adjusted to the darkness and Hito looked down at his brother.

Hito sat on the edge of the chair but Yon didn't move or even acknowledge Hito's presence. Instead his brother remained curled up in tight ball with his face shoved into the cushion. Mi being gone was affecting Yon a lot worse than Hito thought it would, but he'd have to worry about that later. Right now they needed to move to a safer place.

_Come on squirt, let's go visit Mi together this time. _Hito sub vocalized this as he gently touched his brother's shoulder. He knew Yon could hear it, it was one of the ways he and his brothers communicated on missions when using a shortwave wasn't practical. Yon looked up from his curled position and nodded. The smaller boy climbed on to his brother's back and both headed toward the door. The silence of the apartment shattered along with the window in the bedroom next door and Hito gripped Yon a little tighter. The block on his senses was still there but Yon had much better chakra control, so maybe he could tell.

_How many? _Yon remained silent and Hito shook the passenger on his back, _Come on Yon, this is no time to go deaf on me. _The boy on his back stiffened at the term deaf, Yon hated it and Hito knew it, but at least Hito knew his brother was paying attention. It would get iffy if Yon decided to get stubborn on him now though._ How many?_

_Two_

_Where_

There was a pause before Yon responded, _Kitchen, bath_

That meant the main exit was out and Hito turned back toward the window and his eyes went wide. The window was open now, it wasn't when he came in.

_Where?_

_Up, left_

Shit! Hito jumped to the right as a body landed in the spot he'd just vacated.

_No one outside!_

_Got it! _

And out the window they went. Sasuke smiled. Still standing on the rooftop, he felt the boys presence fade as they bolted at top speed in the direction of the hospital.

"Not bad."

"Was that alright, Sasuke-chan?" asked one of two figures that landed nearby.

"Not too much?" the other asked.

"No, I've learned what I needed to, thank you," he said and bowed to them.

The figures dissipated and left behind a pair cats of varying size, the largest of which said, "Anytime, Sasuke-chan. Until tomorrow then."


	11. Dobe

This would have been done sooner - but I got distracted watching two complete anime. HunterxHunter and Hikaru no go. I highly recommend them both...uh yeah - anyway now that the headache I gave myself from watching all that and reading all the associated manga has subsided to a dull throb, I can move on with my life such as it is..._  
_

I bet you all thought I forgot about this scene...

_"You!" the bunshin Naruto cried in surprise easily blocking the sword. "You're still alive…who'd have thunk it."_

You people could never get that lucky. So off we go remembering that nothing in my fics is ever what I think it is when I start writing...

so with no hope of ownership - I give you:

* * *

**Recipe for Disaster**

**by achitka**

**"dobe"**

* * *

"You!" the bunshin Naruto cried in surprise easily blocking the sword. "You're still alive…who'd have thunk it."

"Ah Sai, stop messing around."

The bunshin looked over at Shikamaru who was holding a peculiar object. He also sounded far more irritated than his face betrayed but it was the unusual tense note that caught the bunshin's attention. Sai must have notice too, but Naruto's former team mate said nothing, just put away his sword and shrugged.

Looking around the room, Naruto surveyed the various ninja gathered and immediately noticed the curious split between the older jounin and those of his own age group. The newest crop were studiously avoiding either side. The air of unresolved conflict in the room made the bunshin briefly contemplate releasing the jutsu to escape the tense atmosphere, but his original wouldn't appreciate that. It also explained Shikamaru's attitude, his assistant never liked conflict.

Shikamaru handed him a folder with a quick rundown of what they knew so far and after scanning through it the bunshin, stepped away for the door and walked to the center on the room drawing everyone's attention.

_Time to live the dream,_ the bunshin thought.

* * *

_Hito!  
What?  
We can stop  
Eh?  
They didn't follow_

Hito came to a halt on a rooftop and the Yon dropped off his brother's back.

"You're sure?" his brother asked.

_Ye-...can't you tell?_

"No."

Hito didn't elaborate and Yon knew asking was pointless, since his older brother never told the truth about that sort of thing anyway. Hito was staring at his hitate that he'd pulled from his pocket and Yon wondered what happened with their father that his brother wasn't telling him. Covering the pocket of his jacket where he'd place the scroll he and Mi found earlier, Yon frowned. He'd planned to ask _her _about it, but that didn't happen because of the attack. He needed to talk to her, but was thwarted on his first attempt.

Leaving sensei's apartment had been easy enough with Hito not paying attention, but Yon couldn't help but feel responsible for Hito's run in with their father, not that his obnoxious older brother didn't have it coming. Yon was not asleep when his father collected him from the old man. Even now Hito didn't trust him or Mi enough to tell them what was going on and the conversation between his father and the old man left Yon curious. They obviously knew each other pretty well and likely for a long time since instead calling him by name, his father referred to the old man as 'teme' while the geezer chose 'dobe'. Weird.

_I thought you said he was reliable, dobe?  
_

_Tch, spare me this right now, teme.  
_

_So how is he?  
_

_It's still touch and go, but they think he's past the worst of it for now  
_

_For now?_

_Yeah, Sakura-chan seems to think we were the targets, but..._

_You disagree.__ Is their chakra really that different?_

There was no reply from his father and Yon really started to worry but didn't dare open his eyes.

_Uneasy about the one in Suna?_

_No, I know Gaara and Hinata can handle it. Still, Futa's so far away…_

Yon tensed up at the mention of his sister's name and the conversation abruptly halted. It hadn't occurred to him that Futa could be in danger. Should he tell Hito? Next thing he knew he was being held by Moegi-Sensei and his attention was brought back to the present as his brother tapped on his shoulder and gave him a tug toward the door saying, "Come on, Yon, let's get moving. It's stupid late now and I'm really tired for some reason."

Hito started toward the roof exit but stopped when he realized Yon wasn't following him and Yon felt his jaw clench when his brother's now chiding voice asked, "Come on already, don't you want to go see Mi?"

Yon growled and took a step or two forward but stopped again when Hito said in a nonchalant way, "By the way, tomorrow we start training with the geezer."

_What?!_

Hito's lack of response immediately pissed Yon off as his brother ignored the outburst and finished with the lock. Opening the door he waved Yon forward and he sighed in exasperation and continued speaking as if what he'd just said didn't make damn bit of difference to Yon.

"The geezer, he'll be training us for awhile and-"

Without thinking, Yon launched himself at his brother in an effort to tackle him but Hito turned at the sound and fixed a glare on him that would normally stop Yon in his tracks. Right at that moment though, the younger Uzumaki didn't care. Not only was Hito was being a total jerk, but the stress of Mi not being there, pushed the younger boy past the limit of his patience and Yon didn't hold back his chakra as he let loose a punch that caught his brother's surprised face and sent him slamming into the nearby wall. Yon wanted some answers from his pompous older brother and he wanted them now. He pounced on Hito and grabbed his brother's shirt as the larger boy slid onto the rooftop. Yon shook his fist in Hito's face and made his voice loud enough that Hito winced at it's strength.

_Damn it you idiot, what the hell is going on?_

Instead of fighting back Hito let out a grim chuckle as he wiped the blood from his chin. He stared at the blood on his hand for a moment and asked, "Guess I should have waited to tell you that, eh? Was a good punch little brother, feel better?"

Yon shook his head and released his brother's shirt He'd been expecting a battle, so it was an odd thing for Hito to say, but then Yon was used to Hito making no sense. Anger spent, Yon felt a tiny twinge of guilt as Hito winced again and slowly peeled himself away from the wall.

_What about Moegi-Sensei? What did you do, Hito?_

Rising to his feet, his brother paused again and said, "It's more like what didn't I do...anyway, I'll explain on the way." Hito walked over to the hitate he dropped when Yon hit him and picked it up. Noticing a scratch, Yon wondered what caused it. Hito always kept his headband super polished, so the nick, though small stood out.

_What's the scratch from?_

Hito didn't answer, he just frowned at the hitate. When he raised his eyes he looked past Yon and said quietly, "You're gonna find out anyway, the Hokage put me on notice, Yon."

_The Hokage? Don't you mean Pop?_

"No, I mean the Hokage."

_So what does that mean?_

"It means I have officially received my last warning that I better quit screwing around when I'm on duty." Hito sighed as he straightened up and tied the headband in place. "Apparently, my attitude makes me a danger to others and that's why the geezer's training us now. "

_You're not dangerous Hito and isn't that what you wanted anyway?_

"Yeah, I did, but now it's gotten complicated."

_Why?_

"Don't worry about it, I know I got us into this so I'll deal with the geezer, okay?"

Yon thought about that, and discarded the idea immediately.

_No way Hito, we're supposed to be a team, remember? Stop treating me like a kid!_

"You are a kid," Hito said and immediately held up his hands when Yon frowned and qualified it with, "before you hit me again, lemme explain...that wasn't really what I meant. Actually I've been wracking my brain trying to remember something. You know how at the academy they kept skipping around some of the history of the village?"

_What do ya mean?_

"And you're supposed to be the smart one? Think about it, Yon. Remember how the four of us raided Pop's library a couple of summers ago? What we thought we found out about his old teammate?"

_No way! That geezer is..._

"That's right, that old man is none other than the infamous Uchiha Sasuke."

_But he's supposed to be dead. Are you sure? Wouldn't he be more like Pop's age? That geezer is pretty old._

"Oh I'm sure alright, Pop's the one that told me his name, I don't know if he meant to, but that's what got me thinking about that day."

_…Then why would Pop…oh shit._

"Don't know, he must have his reasons...and even if I am a screw up, you and Mi aren't so he must trust him...of course he also said I should watch my back."

_This is really gonna suck, Hito_

"Yeah, probably," he said as he twisted his neck. It finally popped and Hito sighed. With no warning Hito let out a laugh that startle Yon. "Who knows," Hito mused, "if we play it right we may even be able to drag the rest of that cake story out of him, eh?"

Yon glowered at his brother, somehow he had the feeling he and Mi were was going to end up bearing the brunt of his brother's stupidness.

Noticing his brother's expression, Hito asked, "What? Don't you want to know how it ends?"

Yon thought about that and replied, _Well yeah, but…_

"But what? It's crappy but we might as well try to make the best of it, right?"

_You're just nuts. Do you know that? _

"That's always been a good possibility, little brother, but!" Hito said as he pointed back the way they'd come, "I am still not as crazy as that geezer, heh, yeah." Hito's eyes suddenly went wide and his smug expression collapsed and he said, "Aaaah, Yon...there's something I almost forgot..."

Yon got that sinking feeling he always had when Hito started a sentence like their father would when he'd forgotten some important detail and the boy sighed. Yon felt a headache coming on as he said, _What now Hito?_

Hito's shoulders slumped and he shoved his hands into his pockets and headed for the door.

"We sorta gotta find the geezer by 9am tomorrow and I really don't know what will happen if we don't..."

Hito shuddered then started down the stairs.

"...gave me a little demonstration of his strength earlier…"

Yon rolled his eyes as his brother's voice filtered up the stairs. Hito was talking to himself now it was something he always did this when he was trying to work something out that was bugging him.

"...that old man's definitely dangerous and not in a good way…"

_Same old Hito,_ Yon thought and sighed again as he followed his brother down the steps.

"...Damn, why'd Pop have to go and tell me his name? Dumb ass..."

Usually Hito just mumbled to himself. Whatever it was it must be really bad if he was doing it out loud.

"...9am? Creepy bastard...whatever old man, I'll find you no matter where you hide..."

As they reached street level, Hito's monologue came to a halt and after opening the door he looked up at the clear night sky. Yon walked past his brother and headed up the street. Distracted himself, Yon didn't hear Hito ask no one in particular;

"Uchiha Sasuke, eh? Were you really the one that unleashed the demon that killed the Godaime Hokage?"

* * *

Konohamaru leaned against the wall outside of the Hokage's office waiting for Moegi. After their report, the Hokage, asked Moegi to remain behind and told Konohamaru to wait outside. That could only mean Moegi was in for some sort of reprimand. Konohamaru scratched at the beard he'd gained from being in the field and glanced at his watch then at the still closed door. Sure was taking a while. The room was shielded too, so there was no way for him to eavesdrop all he could do was wait it out.

When the door opened and Moegi stepped out, she didn't even slow down before she started up the hallway toward the exit. Konahamaru went to follow but was stopped when he heard the Hokage called him back.

"Konohamaru, can I see you for a minute?"

Moegi had already disappeared around the corner and Konahamaru decided he'd catch up with her at her apartment later. Stepping into the office, he noticed Naruto was sitting at his desk with Shikamaru nearby as usual but he was surprised to see Sakura there as well. All three had carefully schooled expressions that made the young jounin nervous. Sakura broke the tension when she leaned close to her husband and said something that made the Hokage look at her in surprise.

Sakura nodded and Naruto shrugged as he appeared to be remembering something, an odd sort of smile on his face. Sakura gave his shoulder a squeeze and Konohamaru watched as she and Shikamaru exited the room.

Once the door closed he turned back in time to see the fist that caught him just under the chin and sent him crashing into the desk.

"What the hell was that for?"

"For being even more clueless than me sometimes," Naruto said as he walked around the desk. Reaching down he pulled out a bottle of sake and a couple of paper cups and then settled himself in front of Konohamaru. Pouring both of them a drink, he handed the confused jounin one and said, "Drink that, you're going to need it."

Naruto knew he didn't drink while he was on duty so...

"Drink...it,"Naruto ordered waving a hand at him.

"What happened with Moegi-chan?" Konohamaru asked carefully taking a drink. Naruto wasn't answering and sat waiting until Konohamaru drank the whole thing. He then poured more sake into Konohamaru's cup.

"I've put her on suspension until further notice."

"What? Why? " Konohamaru asked after swallowing what sake remained. Naruto again refilled his cup.

"It's a medical suspension, Konohamaru."

"Medical...is she sick?"

"Maybe for the first few months..." Naruto said watching him as he again refilled the paper cup.

"First few months..." Konohamaru felt slightly dizzy but he wasn't at all sure it was from the alcohol. "Then what you're saying is...that she's..." When Naruto nodded in reply, all Konahamaru could get out before feinting was, "Oi..."

Naruto snagged the half filled cup of sake as the jounin toppled over and said with a smile, "Dobe."

* * *

8:37 am.

They'd been sitting here for a while and Hito was starting get a bit nervous. Though skeptical the old man would show up in the same place twice, he'd brought them to a teahouse close to the bridge where he'd found the old man at the previous day. Yon could be pretty persuasive when he wanted to and he made a good argument. Yon insisted that the old bastard probably wasn't trying to make it a race like last time. Nope, he was testing their ability to think as a team, but Mi was missing from the group. It would definitely end up being troublesome, since Hito and Yon already spent at least an hour the night before arguing about what approach they should take.

Even if Mi tended to be more passive than his twin, he was clearest thinker of the three of them and was usually able to stifle most of the conflicts that erupted between the Hokage's oldest and youngest sons. About the only thing they did manage to agree on was that the attack in Moegi-Sensei's apartment was a set up. His father's admonition to watch his back made Hito sure it was the old man's doing. Their attackers were highly experienced...there was no way they would have failed if they'd been sent to do anything bad.

So there they sat facing the window; Hito watching the bridge, while Yon tested the area for the geezer's chakra. Hito usually handled that aspect because he was better at it than Yon, but since he still hadn't told his brother about his little chakra sensing problem, he was relieved when Yon volunteered to take on that task. Glancing at the clock he noted the time...8:48am, twelve minutes left and returned his attention to the window. His eyes slid across the people traveling the bridge in either direction. The old man could be anyone of them, and if Yon was right, odds were it would be a face he wouldn't recognize.

_He's here_

Hito set down the drink he'd been sipping and asked, "Co-ordinates?"

_20 meters-11 o'clock_

Hito focused on the area and concentrated the people there. Most didn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary. A woman who was moving at an unusually slow pace caught his attention and Hito watched as vendor with a handcart moved past her. The woman vanished. In her place now was a young man. Another group of people blocked his view and once they moved on, not only was the woman back but also the young man was still there. Tricky bastard must have noticed them. Whatever, he planned for this.

"Time?"

_We have three minutes. _

"You were right Yon, let's hope I am too. There's a blonde man and red haired woman in the target area. He's definitely one or the other. I'm depending on you to figure which is which."

His brother made no comment as he opened his eyes and headed for the door of the shop. _What's up with him? _Hito wondered. Staying behind, he waited a full minute before he too got up and exited the teahouse. As he walked out the door Hito estimated it would take him about thirty seconds to reach the bridge.

_Ramen or sushi?  
Not sure...  
You got 15 seconds to decide  
... ra- no... sushi...crap his chakra...it's jerking around like crazy  
What? 10 seconds Yon  
Wait...  
Can't  
Crap!  
5 seconds  
4  
3  
Miso!Miso! Miso!  
Miso?!_

Hito immediately jumped and spun around as the hand he didn't know was there reached up from below the bridge and grazed his ankle throwing him off balance. Hito landed hard on his backside a few meters away as Yon appeared in front of him, looking ready to fight. Hito looked back where the man and woman were, both were double over as they laughed and pointed at him. Hito felt the heat rising in his face as his body shook with anger._ That geezer is taking way too much pleasure in embarrassing me,_ and Hito decided he was definitely going to kill that old man, in fact he should just kill everyone. The frightening image the old man showed him the night before tore though Hito's head and the boy froze.

_You alright Hito? _

Hito blinked at the sound of Yon's voice.

_Hito!_

…_why do you sound so far away?_

_Damn it Hito, look at me! _

…_what the hell was I just thinking about?_

_Hito?_

The old man appeared and stepped around Yon and knelt in front of Hito. He gave they boy a nudge, but Hito remained motionless still staring at nothing. Eyes narrowing, Sasuke placed one of his hands on top of Hito's head and went perfectly still.

…_why does that brat keep talking? Little jerk needs to shut up or…or…_

The overwhelming presence of another's thoughts weighed heavily on him as a deep and desolate darkness swallowed him. A voice whispered through it, filling Hito's head with dark unwanted ideas, urging him to finish his earlier angry thought.

…_**or what? **_

…_**what will you do**_

_**...monster**_

…_or…or...I'll..._

…_**what?**_

Hito frantically pushed a wave of chakra into his head and felt a moment of intense relief as he found himself moving a little closer to consciousness, but that feeling quickly it ebbed and Hito panicked. This was definitely genjutsu…but knowing it didn't help, he wasn't near strong enough to fight it off.

…_**to hurt...**_

_Augghhh!! Leave me alone!! _

…_**kill…**_

_NO, get out of my head dammit!! _

A second, much stronger wave of chakra crashed down, obliterating the darkness around him. Hito immediately recognized it as the geezer's and opening his eyes a crack. He was surprised to find he was still sitting up. The old man was kneeling next to him with Yon hovering nearby. Whatever it was, the dark presence was gone and though he didn't feel fatigued, the whole experience left his head really hurting.

_What's wrong with Hito, old man? _

"Yon, don't be du-"

Hito felt a pinch near the back of his head, he blinked and realized the words he needed were no longer in his head and being unable to think anymore, fell over unconscious.

_What did you do to him?_

Sasuke stood up, ignoring the question, pain burning in his head as he forced his awareness further than he had for some time. Pulling himself back he looked down at the angry face of Hokage's youngest son as he stood protectively over his brother. Such an odd bunch of genin

_Looks like I made it in time after all._

* * *

doh - yeah duckage and more cake in the next chapter for sure...no really - Thanks for reading - I hope you had fun :)

* * *


	12. Those Voices in my Head

Okay, I was too lazy/impatient/tired to have this beta'd...so you'll have to forgive my random errors and what not...Damn chapter just kept getting longer and longer (0.o) when it got over 7700 words I just had to stop - umm not much else to say except that I am writing this purely for Hououza's and Belldragon's entertainment- and of course yours too and since I don't own nuthin

- go me

**Recipe for Disaster**

**by achitka**

**Those Voices In My Head**

* * *

Yon glared at the old man. He was getting seriously tired of being ignored and shouted, "Hey!"

The old man shifted Hito into a sitting position and said, "So you can speak, I thought as much. Now, I need you to wake him up."

_Why? What's wrong with Hito?_

"Do you always talk back to your Sensei?"

The question made Yon blink. He'd forgotten that little detail and unsure how to answer, Yon shrugged. The old man sat back on his heels and regarded him with his unblinking gaze as if waiting for something and Yon wondered just what was going on inf the geezer's head. Something close to a growl escaped the old man as it only just occurred to Yon, that shrugging probably wasn't the best response to make to a blind person, but before he could say anything, the old man said, "New rule, I will allow you to attach one, and only one of your chakra strings to me, but that's only so you can hear me when I give you instructions, any others I will sever. It will be to your benefit to use that voice of yours as I intend to ignore any non-verbal responses in the future, understood?"

Though surprised by the severity of the restriction, Yon had no intention of letting the old man get to him. "Hai, Sensei," he replied. Whenever they got too rowdy Moegi-Sensei, would just tell them to knock it off and they did…usually.

"Good, now give me your left hand and make sure you pay special attention to the paths your chakra takes, it may come in handy."

Yon couldn't help but feel something wasn't quite right as he set his hand on top of the geezer's outstretched one. He knew the old man could definitely 'see' something, since Yon never once saw the old guy come close to running into anything, but now he didn't seem to be able to. It was an oddity that stuck out and really got him to wondering just what sort of limitations the geezer was working under. If it was anything similar to the ones he and Mi were having with that weird void then...

"Just follow my instructions and your brother will be fine. Ready?"

Yon's attention snapped back to task at hand. Because Yon hadn't let go of the link he made with Hito earlier, he could tell his brother was more than just unconscious. In an instant, Hito's breathing and metabolism had been slowed to a crawl...whatever the old man did, he meant for it to totally incapacitate his brother. Hito's usually pointless ramblings from the night before, were starting to make a lot more sense and Yon agreed.

The geezer was definitely dangerous and not in a good way.

* * *

Hito blinked and seeing Yon standing over him he wondered what the hell was going on. The geezer was nearby, but Hito knew something wasn't right. He didn't remember being hit by anything after the old guy released the genjutsu, so why was he laying flat on his back? Hito slowly sat up and decided there was no point in worrying about it now, since the way things were going, Yon was likely to rub his nose in it later.

"So I take it we failed, Sensei?" Hito asked as he stood.

"No, you were both spot on," the old man said and Hito looked over at his brother. Yon was still weirdly silent so and Hito decided that he was either still really pissed off at him or he knew something that he wouldn't or couldn't talk about in front of the old man.

"This way," the old man said.

Hito fell in step with Yon behind their new teacher. Just where they were going was a mystery, but at least it gave Hito a little time to think.

Things were obviously a lot worse than he thought, but that only became apparent when he and Yon turned up at the hospital the night before. His mother was not at all pleased and the argument that followed still bothered Hito. His parents rarely fought but if they did, it was never in front of them. So it was odd that they would do so, even if they were all stuck in Mi's hospital room.

Not only was his mother flatly refusing to allow Mi and Yon to be trained by _'that one'_, she also let it be known she wasn't real happy about the previous arrangement involving himself. His mother laid out lots of logical reasons why his father was going to assign them to someone...anyone else while Moegi was unable to continue as their Sensei. Stranger still was that fact that his father listened without comment. The only sign of his growing irritation were his fingers impatiently drumming on the weird looking container he was holding. It wasn't until she fell silent that his father's hands stilled and he set it aside.

There was no hesitation when his father responded and Hito could tell just from the way he said it that as far as his father was concerned his decision on this subject was made and he would not go back on his word. Team 7 would be trained by the teme.

Hito's unease grew as time stretched itself into what felt like an eternity. It wasn't until his father put his hands on his mother's shoulders and leaned very close that Hito felt any relief. His mother turned her face away and shut her eyes in what looked to Hito like an attempt to deny what ever it was he was about to say. From her change of expression however, it was clear whatever his father was whispering was not what she was expecting. She searched his father's face for some sign that what he'd said wasn't true. When she didn't appear to find it, she looked over at the three of them, her eyes settling on him. Her countenance turned thoughtful, almost calculating and Hito slouched in his seat. This was the second time that day someone had looked at him that way. Uncomfortable under his mother's scrutiny Hito looked away.

In the strained silence that followed, Hito looked over at the still form on the bed and his guilt found new life. Mi was probably much worse off than he was told, he didn't think his mother would be this upset otherwise. Yon fidgeted next to him on the bench and Hito elbowed his little brother and whispered that eavesdropping on a private conversations between their parents was still a no-no. Hito rolled his eyes as Yon's face got really red and he turned his back on his brother. Hito smirked but after catching a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror, the dark eyed, white haired boy staring back at him frowned. Hito wondered what it was they saw when they looked at him like that. It couldn't be anything good and Hito stared straight ahead wondering if his father had in fact told his mother about his status change and what he'd done to warrant it.

_That's probably what that look was about, _he thought.

Hito was not surprised when he returned his attention to his parents to find the argument over. Not that he thought there was ever a chance in hell that his father would change his mind, his stubbornness was legendary, but Hito did regret dragging his brothers into it. He really couldn't have screwed things up better if he planned it.

When his mother walked away from his father and stopped in front of him, Hito straightened up in his seat as his mother sat down next to him. She nudged Yon, who got up and went over to stare at his unconscious twin.

His father stood quietly for a moment before picking up the object he'd set down earlier. He called to Yon as he motioned for him to follow and waited until his youngest son left the room before exiting himself.

Hito watched the door slide shut and steeled himself for the lecture he knew was coming. His mother's lectures were the worst. Not because they were overly long, but because she was usually right. Still he wished he could be spared the reminder as to why they were all here and not at home, but if he was confused before, the conversation that followed certainly didn't help.

"So how are you feeling?" his mother asked.

"Fine," Hito responded warily.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," Hito answered as he nodded. He could feel his irritation mounting but he somehow managed to keep his voice even. This conversation was too frustratingly normal.

"Did you eat?"

_What the crap?_ Right now he should be getting a good talking to about he needed to work harder, pay better attention to his Sensei, be a better ninja, clean his room.

"Good, I was afraid you hadn't. "

Hito's stress level reached critical mass a lot faster than usual and he just couldn't take it and as usual that frustration spilled out of mouth before he could stop it.

"Mom, what the hell is going on? Why is everyone acting so crazy?" Hito's eyes went wide as he clapped a hand over his mouth. To his utter amazement, his mother didn't crack him upside his head as he was expecting.

Instead she said, "Aaah, that's better." She smiled and made an exaggerated show of relief.

Hito just gaped and let his hand drop into his lap as he tried to decide if it was him or his parents that had completely lost their minds.

"You haven't said two words since you got here. You had me worried, Hito-kun. It's not as bad as all that, things will work out."

Unconvinced, Hito stared at the floor. No matter how she glossed it over, he was still a loser. Wasn't Mi injured because he chose to be lazy? Wasn't Moegi-Sensei put on suspension because of his attitude? Even Yon was angry enough that he wasn't even speaking to him and it confused him greatly that his mother wasn't.

"Eh? What's wrong?"

When he didn't respond, his mother got up and returned to Mi's bedside. She checked his IV and sighed.

"Pop…put me on notice," Hito said quietly. Even though he was sure his father had already told her, Hito felt a little better telling her that, but she surprised him again when she didn't pause or look up from what she was doing and asked, "Did he? That explains that nick in your hitate then."

"You didn't know?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Really." She finished up returned to her seat next to him and said, "Hito-kun, whatever you may think this isn't your fault."

Hito didn't agree. He couldn't shake the feeling that if he hadn't been such a selfish dumb ass lately, things would have turned out better. He let himself get worked up over a vague statement, made by an old man he'd never even laid eyes on before a few weeks ago. Let it overrule everything he knew to be true. Still…Hito noted his mother's candid expression was back and a bit nervous now he asked, "What?"

"You have that look again, Uzumaki. Spill it."

Hito was seriously beginning to wonder if his mother was psychic on top of being a medical ninja, but figured he really didn't have anything to lose.

"I kinda have a question, but..."

"But what?"

"It's one of those: I want to know, but I don't."

"No?"

"I'm afraid of the answer."

"Must be something pretty bad then. This isn't about _that one, _is it?"

"Uh no. I do have questions about that geezer," _like why he's even alive_ "but that's not what's bugging me."

"Oh?"

"It's about Pop."

"Your father did mention something about that."

"He did?"

"Mmm, he said you were under the impression that I hated him when we were children."

She said it so matter of factly that Hito shifted uncomfortably in his seat. No wonder his father choked on his food…just hearing her say it made him realize he'd indirectly insulted his own mother...

_God I'm an idiot_

A new wave of guilt washed over him and Hito said in a rush, "I'm sorry Mom, it was a dumb question. I don't even know why I want to know. It really none of my business…I just..." Hito drew a blank as to how to express what he was feeling.

"Were morbidly curious?" his mother asked with a nudge of his shoulder. Hito sank a little lower in his seat, yup that was it. Unfazed his mother asked, "What did your father say?"

Though still very hesitant, Hito felt like his minor obsession with the reason was slowly gnawing at his subconscious. He needed to get this out of his head and the likelihood that his mother would ever give him this sort of opportunity again was probably non-existent. Unsure what or even how to phrase it, Hito decided to just repeat what his father said and hope for the best. So even though his head continued to scream at him to forget about it, once again his curiosity overruled his good sense and Hito stated, "He said he was loud, impatient, desperate for attention and seriously annoying."

"Ah," she said with a nod, "that is so very true."

"So…" Hito faltered, he just couldn't get the words to come out of his mouth.

"I did."

There was no hesitation or denial of it and all Hito could do was stare at her hoping he'd heard wrong. His mother must have noticed, becasue she turned in her seat and made sure he was looking her in the eye before she continued.

"Just the sight of Uzumaki Naruto was enough at that time to me cringe. As annoying as your father was, it really was kind of hard not to. I never really talked to him before entering the academy. I may have run into him or might have seen him around the village, but I was told I shouldn't get involved or even try make friends with him. I was never told why, but I decided that since he had no parents, family, or anything, of course there was something wrong with him. Why else would such a small boy be living by himself?"

Hito understood now why his father took Yon out of the room. She wasn't kidding. His mother continued but she wasn't looking at him anymore; she was staring out the window. Hito said he wanted to know...but now that he was hearing it, he wished he'd never asked.

"By the time we graduated from the academy, every unkind thing I had ever come up with to say to him, I had. I was very certain I had your father all figured out. Not only was he just another rude, selfish boy without a proper upbringing. He was definitely an idiot. A failure at everything and as a ninja he was nightmare. Loud, clumsy, constantly struggling with the easiest of assignments and here I was stuck with Mr. Dead Last on my squad. He even had delusions of being Hokage. I was quite convinced he was a complete and total loser."

"That's really harsh, Mom."

She returned her attention to him and said with a sad sort of smile, "Yes, it was. I guess it's lucky for us both he was able to change my mind, eh? Curiosity satisfied now, Hito-kun?"

The old man's hand blocking his progress interrupted Hito's reflection. Since he hadn't really been paying attention to where they were headed, he was a little surprised to see where they'd ended up. The apartment building they were standing in front of was a bit run down, but was otherwise sturdy looking. The old man stood stock still for a full 5 seconds before he headed up the stairs and the boys exchanged glances before following.

Hito noticed Yon's fingers were moving in that particular fashion that meant he was weaving something out of his chakra. It was a peculiarity that only he and Mi shared, but both of them had been doing since they were before they entered the academy. Since they never did it front of anyone except himself and Futa, it meant his little brother was preparing for something.

They continued climbing until they reached the topmost floor and walked down a long breezeway until they reached the only door. The old man produced a set of keys and unlocked it and paused again before entering. That was twice he'd done that and it made Hito wondered why, but his head still hurt so he didn't ask. Instead he shoved the question to the back of his head. He'd just have to figure it out later.

Though dark there was enough light from a window to see that the apartment, though of decent size, was a dump. Hito ran a finger across a piece of the old mismatched furniture near the door and frowned at the layer of dust. This place had been empty for quite awhile.

"Why are we here, Sensei?" Hito asked.

"Since your house is currently missing a few walls, this apartment will be your living quarters for the duration of its repair," he said and tossed the keys to Hito.

_Great,_ Hito thought but said out loud, "Okay, so now what?"

"Now you clean. I'll be back in three hours and I'll expect that you two will have the worst of it taken care of by then. All the utilities are working and there should be a light switch somewhere on your right," the old man said as he walked back out the door.

Turning, Hito found the switch and flicked it on. The extra light didn't help, but only confirmed the obvious, three hours was not going to be enough time.

"Take this," Yon said aloud. Hito pulled up short at the unaccustomed sound of his brother audible voice. Hito turned around and held out his hand and Yon dropped something into it. The small item he handed him appeared to be a band of some sort woven out of the threads of Yon's shirt. It matched almost exactly the one Yon always wore on his left wrist. The only difference was the color. Yon's was green, with some white flecks; the one he's just been handed was solid red. Hito slipped the band onto his wrist and was a little surprised when it adjusted itself to fit snuggly against his skin.

"This is what I think it is, right?"

Expecting Yon to answer in his usual fashion, Hito was thrown off when his brother answered aloud, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Precaution."

"Against what?" Hito asked and Yon frowned. Hito realized then it must have something to do with the old man. "You don't have to tell me, Yon. I can probably guess. I don't know why the geezer is forcing you to talk out loud, but just remember to take it easy, you don't use them vocal chords that often."

_Crazy geezer_.

Yon nodded and Hito said, "Alright, let's get started."

The brothers worked in silence until the old man returned exactly three hours later. Hito noted that this time the geezer did not stop at the door they way he did last time. Just walked on in, carrying several bags of what Hito hoped was food. It wasn't and after brief inspection of their work the old man sent them out to the breezeway.

There were several bags of random household items and most of their gear stacked neatly against the wall. Hito wondered who brought all this stuff but figured it didn't matter so he picked up as many as he could manage and brought them inside. By three o'clock most everything was in order and the boys dropped onto the couch, ready to call it quits for the day.

A knock on the door a short while later, startled Hito out of his half nappy state. The old man and Yon both ignored it when the knock came again and neither appeared inclined to answer it. Hito grudgingly got up and trudged past the geezer who was sitting motionless in a chair near the window. Not entirely sure the old man was awake, Hito decided if he was asleep, then he'd no intention of waking him. Hito was sure the old man was the sort to wake up cranky.

Pulling the door open Hito was surprised to see his mother standing there.

"Hey, mom. What brings you here?" Hito was genuinely curious.

"Dinner," she said and looked around as she handed off several bags, which were exuding the warm smells of something delicious. She didn't enter the apartment, she just smiled as Yon waved from the couch. Hito already had his nose shoved in one of the bags and pulled it out in time to see the frown that briefly flitted across his mother's features when her eyes settled on the old man. Likewise the geezer's only indication he was aware of her presence was a similar expression that was just as quickly masked.

"After you visit your brother later, please stop by the house, there are some things I need to give you both."

Hito recalled his father saying that when she was younger, his mother was quite the fan girl of the geezer. The old guy was creepy, true, but it did make him wonder why that changed and Hito realized his private list of pointless questions had just gotten exponentially longer. Deciding he'd better get away from the door before he let one of them slip out, he motioned for Yon to join him and the pair left the living room and headed into the kitchen.

Yon began to rummage around some of the previously received items to find some chopsticks while Hito set the food on the table. As he headed back to close the door, he heard the old man's voice, but could make out what he said or asked. What stopped him was the hint of amusement in his mother's voice when she responded.

"Just remember your promise, Sasuke-kun."

When there was no response from the old man she must have left, since Hito heard the door quietly close. _Score one for Mom_, Hito thought and stored another question or ten as he returned to the table for some food.

* * *

Sasuke listened to the door close with a mix of anger and befuddlement. It irritated him that even after all this time she still managed to get under his skin. Sasuke allowed a small smile to replace his usual frown as he recalled the events that led up to what he thought of as one of his odd moments of weakness. How different thing could have been, but what's done is done and he'd long since moved on so dwelling on it was pointless.

Pushing those thoughts out of his head, he headed for the kitchen and paused when he entered. He really hated small spaces like this. Close proximity and too many variables to try to render in it properly in his head. Being stuck with these two boys also meant there was the added challenge of dealing with things being moved.

Both boys were eating, but Hito said through a mouthful of something, "Two forward, one left. Yon, you didn't happen to see any drinks in any of that stuff, did ya?"

"No."

"That sucks."

"Yes."

_So the brat noticed,_ Sasuke thought and took two steps forward, one left and found the chair. "There are drinks in the refrigerator on the bottom near the back," The old man prompted.

"Yes!" Hito immediately got up and retrieved three of them. Tossing one to Yon, he set the other down saying, "One o'clock." Opened his own and took a long sip.

Sasuke's initial irritation with being forced to deal with the pair faded a bit as he sat down and discovered a place set with a covered bowl of something already in front of him. It was an unusual gesture considering the day he'd already given them.

He also noted Hito was the only one talking, since the younger boy only supplied one or two word answers if spoken to. There were also none of the younger boy's chakra strings lying about and Sasuke realized then that the younger had taken his earlier restriction one step further.

_Damn stubborn brats._

Once the meal was over and the rest of the mess cleared away, Sasuke was not about to stop them from their aforementioned rendezvous with their mother. After the boys showered, changed and left he sat back near the window after opening it.

The silence was almost blissful.

"Would you like us to follow them, Sasuke-chan?" The question came from one of a pair of cats moving along the windowsill.

"Yes, Hina, I would be in your debt."

"Nya, no debt for now, Sasuke-chan." the tan cat responded, "They are...entertaining for us. Perhaps you should sleep for a while. We will remain until you recover."

"Thank you."

* * *

Futa's last memory of the waking world was the floor rushing up toward her. She couldn't move her body anymore and for some mysterious reason, doing so felt like work. _So tired,_ Futa thought and let herself drift deeper into the darkness.

_Futa-neechan!_

Mi?

_Neechan! _

Nah...couldn't be, no way.

_Are you stuck here too? _

This is stupid, Mi is at home

_Futa, you gotta tell mom and pop. _

Sure sounds like the twerp though

_Futa, dammit...I can't reach them for some reason, it's too dark here_

Of course it's dark...why are you here...you hate the dark...

_Futa, you gotta hear me...Yon can't find me...I can hear him...but...Futa, there's something else here... please Futa_

Mi...

Blue eyes shocked awake as Futa bolted upright and immediately wished she hadn't. A fierce wave of pain rushed through her head blinding her for a moment. When she tried to raise her hand to fend it off, she realized one of her arms was wrapped securely against her body. A rush of nausea made her empty stomach clench and Futa used her free arm to grab her midsection. Gentle hands helped ease her back onto her pillow and Futa curled up on her side to keep from throwing up.

"Try to be still, Futa. You're not well enough to sit up."

Her Sensei's voice calmed her and Futa thought, _Mi's not here...it was a dream...just a really bad dream...thank goodness._

Letting her eyes open a little, she took in what she could of her surroundings. About all she registered was that she in a room she didn't recognize with her Sensei sitting nearby. Futa took unusual comfort in the fact that she was there at all. As she understood it, Hyuuga Hinata had refused to take on a genin team prior to her assignment with Team 8.

In fact Futa's chakra control and speed improved to the point that she might actually be able to take on some of the more advanced medical training she'd wanted to in the past. Movement at the end of the bed made Futa shift her eyes to the boy sitting crossed legged there.

Nara Shinto gave her leg a nudge and said, "That was a bit dramatic. You are such a nuisance sometimes, Uzumaki."

Futa ignored the impulse to kick her teammate and asked, "Where am I?" Her voice sounded barely above a whisper and Futa wondered if she'd even managed to say it aloud.

"You're in the hospital," her Sensei said.

Her confusion must have been clearly visible on her face since Shinto added, "You were attacked in our room, remember? You're lucky the Kazekage showed up when he did. I overheard one of the doctors say it was some sort of chakra lee-"

"Shinto, why don't you go find one medics and let them know Futa's regained consciousness." The gentle interruption was enough, and the genin hopped off the bed and headed out the door.

_That fuzzy did this? _

"How long, Hina-Sensei?"

"Only one day, Futa. Still plenty of time to train. Try to relax and drink this," she said and held a straw up to her lips.

Futa was not expecting the tart tasting liquid that assaulted her taste buds and choked as she tried to swallow it. After a few more sips, Futa found she felt markedly better. She still didn't want to get up, but at least the headache subsided enough for her to think.

As the previous days events ran through her head, a warming sensation on her unbound wrist caught her attention. She stared at the wristband Mi made for her prior to her leaving the village and struggled for a minute to remember what her little brother said it could do.

When the memory finally came to her, Futa remembered how she patted Mi on the head not really believing him when he told her that it would let him talk to her all the way in Suna. Her little brother was smart, but not that smart. Futa caught sight of the wristband again. When he'd given it to her it was a solid bright orange, now there were six white threads running through it. That almost made sense, since that was the number of time he'd spoken to her. Maybe the brat really was that smart and Futa realized her little brother must be in real trouble.

If Mi was also attacked by one of those fuzzy things maybe he couldn't find his way back to the waking world. Futa shuddered remembering those nasty teeth, if he was bitten, then the effect would probably be a hundred time worse than waht she was dealing with. She need to tell someone but the people still in the room had moved closer to the door. They stood with their backs to her so no one noticed as Futa again struggled to a sitting position. The headache returned with a vengeance and Futa almost collapsed under the strain.

She did throw up and from the metallic taste, she knew there was blood in it. The first one to notice, of course, was Shinto. He nudged Hina-Sensei and pointed in her direction. A strangely worried expression on his face. Futa felt weirdly hot, but dammit she was going to make sure they heard her out.

"Futa, please lie back down-" the medic tried to say.

"Hina-Sensei, someone's gotta tell my parents..."

"A message has already been sent, Futa," Hina-Sensei said, "please do as the doctors says."

Futa was trying without success to wriggle out of the medics grasp and cried, "No, it's not about me...please listen!"

Her Sensei moved between the medic and herself and Futa allowed Hinata to ease her back on to the pillows. "Sensei it's Mi...he's in some kind of trouble...he said he can't find his way out..." A painful prick in her arm told her she was being sedated. Futa panicked as her thoughts started to gum up, she couldn't fall asleep, not yet, "Tell them for me, Sensei...he says somethings chasing him...please," Futa could tell her voice was fading, but she managed one last thing before she passed out, "...He said it's dark there...Mi hates the dark..."

* * *

Walking back to the apartment, Hito nudged Yon and said, "We're being followed aren't we."

Yon nodded and Hito frowned. His chakra sense still felt muted, but not a badly as the night before. Whatever was in the tart tasting concoction his mother whipped up for them was helping that. Not that Hito had actually told her about it. Arriving at their destination, the boys sat at the base of the stairs and Hito tried to pinpoint the source of the chakra. Whatever it was, it was sure was small and was headed straight for them. Kinda just like...

"Oh crap! Come on Yon!" Hito shouted as he snagged the back of Yon's shirt and dragged his brother up behind him. Yon didn't resist, but they'd only gone up a few flights when the old man appeared. He held up a hand as a signal for them to stop and Hito did, pulling Yon to a halt with him.

Both boys turned around to find a larger than normal man and woman standing there. The woman was rather thin and willowy with tawny hair that was offset with dark stripes, the symbol for 'Ki' was visible on her forehead. The symbol for 'shinobi' was tattooed on the man's dark squarish face. His body was just a solidly built and the intensity of his green eyes matched his companions amber. Even their 'at ease' stance was imposing, causing Hito to take a step back. Both were armed to the teeth and stood with arms crossed as if waiting for something.

That came when the old man pointed to each in turn saying, "Boys, meet Hina and Denka, they'll be helping out with some of your training."

Yon elbowed him and Hito shut his mouth, since it was hanging open and both boys bowed to the them saying, "Thank you for your assistance, Hina-Sensei, Denka-Sensei."

Denka let out a curious growl, and Hina laughed and said to the old man, "Such polite little kittens you have found, Sasuke-chan. Not at all what I was expecting. Until tomorrow then."

The old man bowed and the pair vanished from sight. Returning to the apartment, the old man returned to his earlier seat by the window and said, "So where did we leave off, Hito."

It took Hito a moment to realize what the geezer was talking about, but when he did, he told the old guy and the old man picked up the thread of the story from there.

* * *

Naruto had fallen into a churlish silence. He didn't actually need anyone to remind him of the circumstances of his life and he preferred not to think about it anymore. Even before Iruka-sensei recognized him, Naruto already decided he would be the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf and not just any old Hokage. Nope, Naruto was going to surpass them all. He planned to be the greatest Hokage ever. Then everyone would have to recognize him and stop treating him like he was some sort of monster. The more he thought about it the more it pissed him off. Luckily his rather grim train of thought was broken when Konohamaru asked him what he needed the stuff in the bag for. When Naruto told him, Konohamaru fell silent for a time as he contemplated the problem.

"I got it, boss!"

Naruto favored the younger boy with a look of pure disbelief and resisted the urge to whack him when Konohamaru stated confidently that he knew where some eggs were and they didn't have to ask anyone for them. While Naruto was hopeful he was wary of Konahamaru's claim, most of the plans the boy made tended to end up being painful for Naruto.

"Look over there, boss," Konohamaru said pointing at a nearby pond. He did, but there was nothing unusual about it.

"What am I looking for Konohamaru?"

"Ducks."

"Ducks?"

"Yeah, they lay eggs this time of year, a lot of them and it should be easy enough to grab a few."

Naruto's gloomy mood brightened and he said, "What a great idea, Konohamaru," and Naruto clapped the boy on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Let's go check it out."

As they neared the pond, they knelt in the deep grass near the waters edge. Not wanting to spook their potential prey, both he and Konohamaru studied it for signs of duck habitation. The pond itself was clear and bright, however, it was just as silent and empty as the rest of the Uchiha District. Disappointed, Naruto turned over in the grass and stared up at the sky. Things were just not working out for him today.

"Boss?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for helping me today. I know you have other things to do now that you're a ninja but you're the only person I know who knows stuff about plants. I meant to ask you before, but your team left on that mission and you were gone for months."

"It's alright, Konohamaru, your princess was worth the time. I think the gardener who used to care for her would thank us too."

"Eh?"

"Yeah, you can tell by where she was in the garden that the gardener thought of her as something special. Right in the center, where she would never be overlooked."

"Oh…I never thought of that." Konohamaru fell silent for a time and bored with looking at the empty pond he asked, "Naruto-niichan did you ever wonder if the palm princess was a real person? It would be sad if Gramps just made her up."

"I don't know Konohamaru, but it's nice to think she was," Naruto said as a picture of a pretty girl with long red hair and eyes the color of the sea floated up in his memory. Just like Sakura-chan's.

"In that case, once we get the eggs, will you tell me the rest of the Princess story? You tell it way better than Gramps."

Naruto blinked, and smiled at Konohamaru. It didn't matter that the boy was only eight years old. Few people of the village took the time to speak to Naruto, let alone compliment him. So even if his original plans for that day were turning out to be a complete failure, that small request made it a little easier to bear. "Thanks, Konahamaru," Naruto said, "Let's get moving, there's nothing here."

"Okay!"

After the pair collected the cart, they continued toward the exit and after thinking about it for a moment, Naruto realized why he like this story so much and picked up his story where he left off.

Like I told you before, Kushima lived on the edge of her village and she had no friends. There were people she knew, but they were just ones she bought supplies from. Everyone else just avoided her. Whenever she went to town, she somehow managed to endure the cold eyes of the villagers. This happened for many years until one day, after her tenth birthday, Kushima had a bad run in with some of the locals on one of her trips to town. Suke, being a rather wise crow, knew how much the taunts of the others hurt the girl and he urged Kushima to run. Though the girl usually took Suke's advice, this day Kushima was tired. Tired of running away, tired of being called a freak but most of all, Kushima was tired of being alone.

Anger burned in her heart, fueled by a secret hatred for these people. Kushima was afraid of that feeling it was so strong sometimes. She'd never done even one of them any harm. Why did they hate her? Why couldn't they see? She wanted just one person in this stupid village to recognize who she really was. Someone brave enough to see past the part of her they feared so much and Kushima whispered her hopeless wish into the rain. But there was no one and Kushima stood alone, head bowed, rain pouring down as the group cornered her, calling her a monster and other such bad things.

Maybe it was her wish but as it happened, there was a boy who had just finished his shinobi training and was home for a short visit with his parents. When he happened upon the group and saw what they were doing, it made him angry. Pushing past them, he stood protectively in front of the girl.

"What are you bunch of brats doing out in the rain, go home."

"But Minato, she's a freak! Don't get to close or that crow of hers will...will..."

"Will what?" he asked.

"Uh...eat..."

Minato looked back over his shoulder at the bird. The crow cawed to him and shinobi cocked his head in surprise. If he wasn't a sensible person he could have sworn the bird just said 'We're saved'. During his training, the shinobi had seen many weird things, so a talking crow wasn't all that scary for him.

Suke spoke to Kushima then, telling her to be brave and the bird left Kushima's shoulder. The girl froze, Suke never left her shoulder when they were out. A few of less brave kids ran off as the crow landed on Minato's arm but Kushima didn't move at all. Maybe...looking up for the first time she realized she remembered this person. She'd not seen him for a long time, but he used to always be around and that memory made her smile for some reason.

The shinobi now held out his arm and the crow settle on his elbow. Again there were shouts and to the group that was still there he asked, "You can't seriously mean this scrawny thing, neh?"

There were a few nods, so Minato transferred the bird to his wrist and stared at the bird. The pair stayed like that for some time until Suke pecked at the shinobi's nose and Minato covered it with a shout.

Several of the kids cried out, "You see! She is a freak!"

Minato dropped his hand as he laughed, pointing at the group saying, "Gotcha!"

"Minato that was mean!" one of the older children shouted.

Minato waved it off saying "Tch, and what you lot were doing was nice? You guys sure are dumb. Where'd you get the idea that a crow could eat you?" No one answered and the shinobi said in a stern voice, "Go home." The group started to wander off and Minato added, "And I better not hear of you doing something like this again."

Turning back around, Minato discovered the girl missing. It took him a second to realize, she hadn't left, she was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up under her chin and she was crying. The crow returned to the girl and sat on her shoulder, gently pressing its head against her face.

"Hey now, no need for the waterworks...Kushima, right?" He was surprised when the bird cawed at him a third time and he clearly understood what it was saying.

"Why did you help?" was the question the bird asked.

"Why wouldn't I, friend crow?" The shinobi pulled out an umbrella and after opening it he waited.

It took Kushima a moment to realize that it was no longer raining on her head. Looking up, Kushima was surprised to see the smile on the shinobi's face. Kushima felt the heat as it rose in her face and was hit by an sudden rush of panic. Kushima wanted only to go home and hide, sure that this boy, just like all the others would turn on her.

All the while, Naruto was telling his story he'd been carefully tracking the chakra signature. Whoever it was, was sticking to the rooftops, but it was very frustrating that he couldn't remember where he'd felt it before. He knew he knew it...the answer was so close. As they crested a hill Naruto was relieved when he realized they were almost out of the Uchiha District. Stepping up his pace, Naruto wanted nothing more than to be out of there. They hadn't gone far when Naruto suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when the chakra he'd been tracking intensified. There still wasn't any menace to it, but Naruto recognized it now and his earlier relief turned to a moment of pure dread. The person following them was Sasuke.

* * *

"Okay Sensei, I need to ask you something."

"If I told you no, would still ask?"

Hito shrugged and said, "Probably."

Sasuke shook his head. "What's the hang up this time, boy?"

"Why are you still telling this like it about a bunch of strangers…you're in it right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"That's just creepy, old man."

"Is it?"

"Well, yeah…"

"Good. Now is there anything else?"

"How do you know all the stuff that went on when you weren't there?"

This question was met with stony silence from the old man and by the time Hito realized he wasn't going to get an answer, the old man was up on his feet. The younger Uzumaki glared at Hito for the interruption since it was clear they'd get nothing else out of the old man now. Hito rolled his eyes deciding his brother must still be doing his best to be invisible. Either way he tired and didn't care as he left him there. Walking into the bedroom, he noted some one had already set out the bedding, so Hito wasted little time changing and crawling into bed and promptly fell asleep.


	13. ShiSan

Sooo I woke up the other day and realized something very important and spent a whole bunch of time writing it all out...I'd tell you what that was but it would wreck the end of the story and this assumes I find my way toward that oh so obvious ending...well at least obvious to me. Anyway if you didn't see what was coming in the chapter below - don't feel bad...you'd be surprised how this stuff creeps up on me too...Seriously sometime I'll read what I wrote and think WTF, where the hell did that come from...

So yeah...with all that out of the way - I say thank you again to Hououza, BelleDragon and the oh so generous compliments from The Ninja Lord...

**Recipe for Disaster**

by achitka

**Shi-San**

* * *

Yon watched the old man walk out of the apartment and wondered if the geezer was going back to his own. Be a long walk if he did was since it was clear on the other side of town. Hito apparently didn't care since he just got up and walked to the bedroom. After a while when he didn't come back out Yon figured he'd gone to bed. Not the slightest bit tired, Yon took up the old man's seat near the window. He really should have let Mi in on his plan sooner, but things just happened so fast.

He watched a small flock of crows that were flying around in the fading light of the day. He'd missed something important and sat wondering where it'd all gone wrong. Running into the old man the night before was a stroke of really bad luck, but thanks to Hito's big mouth, the geezer was gone for today. Yon fidgeted. He'd have to go tonight though. When the sun finally slipped beyond the horizon and Yon thought, _Better get this over with._

He noted earlier that the ledge outside the window was wide enough to walk along, so he hopped out the window and did just that. The world was so quiet when there was no one around to help him hear things, but that was okay too. The underlying vibrations of the village itself were soothing in its own way so he kept walking, leaving small strands of chakra behind him. Eventually he circled around the entire upper floor and came to a halt on a small balcony.

Not using his chakra to make himself heard sure was turning out to be harder than he thought. A whole day had gone by since Mi was bitten and Yon still wasn't getting any response from his twin. It wasn't supposed to go like this. Yon stared at the band on his wrist, he was sure that Mi was trying to call him since there were a lot more white threads than before. Why couldn't he hear him? Still he should have been able to feel it get warmer when the chakra stored in the threads was released. It was a pretty simple trick, but...it wasn't working.

Holding out his hands Yon channeled small bits of chakra between his fingers, pulling, twisting and condensing it until it formed a long strip. He didn't add any cloth this time. Pulling his knees up under his chin, Yon carefully wrapped the chakra around his finger and looked up at the moon as he waited. He'd left plenty of markers around so Shi was bound to come.

A vibration in one of his threads off to his left caught his attention and Yon tested the area, but didn't feel any chakra. Looking over in that direction Yon noticed a crow roosting on the rooftop. A few others shortly joined it and there was a brief stint of squawking that tapered off as the birds settled themselves. He smiled at their antics as one of the larger birds spread it wings, pushing the smaller birds out of its personal space.

His smile died when a second vibration was followed by a wave of familiar wretched chakra. Yon ignored his revulsion and immediately squeezed his eyes shut. He regretted making that stupid promise to never to look at Shi's face, not that he needed to, that chakra was warning enough.

Tightening his grip on the chakra around his fingers he said, _Don't come any closer._

Why?

The pained voice of the speaker was very child-like and girly, but since Yon had never actually seen Shi's face he couldn't be sure. He only referred to Shi as a girl because of she sounded like one. The sadness in the voice lessened a little when she asked; Did it not go just like we planned, Yon-chan?

_Yeah, it did, but it was supposed to be a prank. No one was supposed to get hurt. _

I...tried...

_What about this morning? I know that was you. _When this went unanswered, Yon couldn't hide the irritation in his voice when he added, _What else have you done that you haven't told me about Shi ? _

I am sorry, Yon-chan.

_You sent one to Suna too, didn't you._

No!

The hurt in her voice sent a stab of guilt through Yon. Shi definitely had gone too far with it, but Yon was the one who talked her into it in the first place. Even though Shi warned him that the summons was dangerous and hard for her to control, he went right ahead with it anyway.

_It'll be alright...I'll figure something out, just take it and go. _Setting down the strip of chakra on the roof, Yon sighed and said, _I'm sorry I shouted, Shi…I'll catch up with you later. _

When there was no response, Yon's worry increased. Whatever she did to Hito this morning, she did easily. That meant it was something Shi planned out ahead of time and must have laid some sort of trap for Hito. Yon certainly didn't want to get caught, but if Shi was doing things on her own, then there was no telling what would happen. The wristband Yon gave to Hito would at least warn Yon before it happened again, but he had a bad feeling it would and he wasn't at all sure he could stop Shi without giving himself away.

Yon rubbed his forehead, his headache was coming back but he needed to think this out. He sat there a while longer running everything through his head and didn't move from that spot until he was sure he'd come up with a solution. Carefully opening his eyes, Yon stood up and made his way back to the open window. Hopping inside, he shut it and wandered into the bedroom.

He looked at Hito as he slept and frowned at his older brother. _This is all your fault, Hito. I just wanted to pull a prank to get you back for all your crap lately, now… _But the thought died out. Yon knew there was no one to blame but him. His thoughts turned to Mi as he leaned against the wall and stared at the bare wood of the room. _It was just supposed to be a prank..._sliding slowly down to the floor.

Shifting to his bed Yon didn't bother to undress, he just crawled under his blankets. His last thought before falling asleep was; _What have I done?_

* * *

"Why did you do that?" Hinata asked as she turned to face the medic that had administered the hypodermic. Her voice may have sounded calm, but inwardly Hinata was seething. This was the second attempt on Futa, this time right under her nose.

"She needs to rest," the medic responded, "It was just a mild sedative. You could clearly see she was rambling incoherently."

"Was she?" Hinata asked quietly as she took a step closer to the medic. "All of her vital signs were stable and Futa sounded perfectly normal to me for someone in her condition." A bead of sweat ran down the woman's face when Hinata asked, "Who are you really?"

"I'm the medic on duty."

"No you're not. The medic whose face you're wearing is somewhat taller, walks with a limp and the shift change isn't for another hour. I'll ask you again, who are you?"

This question was met with silence as Hinata's gaze swept past the woman and she said, "Renji what do you think?"

Renji, still behind the woman, activated his byakugan and said, "I think Medic-on-duty is pretty upset. In fact, you could almost say from her accelerated pulse and breathing, she's lying, Hina-Sensei."

The woman swallowed and her eyes began to dart around the room in panic when she realized she was also frozen in place.

"You ain't going anywhere, Missy. Shadow possession success," Shinto said from his place near the window.

"Shinto, please have Medic-on-duty hand me whatever she's holding and empty her pockets." Hinata said and held her hand out. The medic's eyes went wide as she raised her hand and dropped the almost empty hypodermic into Hinata's. She ignored the woman's murderous glare and said to her other student, "Renji, please see if Kankuro-san is still nearby, I'm sure he will be also interested in speaking to Medic-on-duty."

"Hai, Hina-Sensei," the boy responded and disappeared through the door.

Shinto moved closer as he maneuvered the woman's hands through her pockets and produced a half empty vial of something. This he also made the fake medic drop into Hinata's hand. Kankuro entered the room followed closely by Renji and another medic.

Kankuro pulled up short and asked, "Who the hell is that?"

"She says her name is Medic-on-duty and administered this to Uzumaki Futa a few moments ago." Hinata said and held up the vial and needle. She handed the items to the new medic who, after smelling it appeared to recognize the solution and glared at the shadow-possessed woman. He called out and another medic appeared and both went immediately to where the unconscious Futa lay.

Returning her attention to the woman Hinata noted Shinto was done emptying the contents of Medic-on-duty's pockets and walked her toward the center of the room. Hinata managed to suppress a smile when Shinto forced the woman to make an 'L' from her finger and thumb then hold it up to her head. Hinata glanced at her student; Shinto shrugged as he let his hand drop and Renji immediately began to tie Medic-on-duty up. Though some of the woman's movements were still a bit jerky and unnatural, Hinata was pleased that Shinto's ability to control the movement of those he possessed was progressing quickly. Motivating Shinto to do more than breathe some days was like dragging a log, uphill, in a rainstorm.

"Now-" Hinata said.

"Hinata-san, please allow me. I'm sure the Kazekage would be most interested in speaking to our friend here," Kankuro said.

"As you wish, Kankuro-san, forgive me. I would like to be present if possible."

"Completely understandable."

"I also need to send a message to Hokage-sama."

"Already on it, Hinata-san," Kankuro said and pulled the door open with a chakra string and said to one of the guards on the other side, "Oi, take Hinata-san to Temari, then have them both meet us at the Kazekage's office," he said pointing to the first. To the other he said, "Find the rest of my squad and tell them to report here immediately, we're going to get to the bottom of this today."

"Hai!" both said. One disappeared while the other waited for Hinata to join him.

"Thank you very much," Hinata said with a slight bow, either way she was taking no more chances with Futa and turned to her students. "Renji, you are to remain here with Futa and make sure no one else besides the two medics now present attend to her. You are free to use what ever means necessary." The genin nodded and placed himself between the door and bed. "Shinto, you will accompany Medic-on-duty to the Kazekage and remain there until I join you."

"Hai, Sensei," the boy responded. Hinata then followed her guide out of the room.

* * *

As the night deepened, only two of the crows that remained perched on the roof were still awake. Both sat for quite a while waiting for the boy on the rusted shingled roof below them to vacate his chosen spot. Once gone, the pair flew off toward an adjacent building where the larger of the two disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving Sasuke standing watching the other struggle. The crow finally managed to find a perch and chattered away on his shoulder.

Even if his flight skills sucked, Naruto was doing far better than most. The henge was a little more complex than just changing your outer appearance, since its main purpose was to mask chakra but then he'd only shown Naruto the jutsu a few hours before. Still the flight aspect took hours of practice; there really was no other way to master it.

The bird cawed confidently and Sasuke said, "No, you suck at flying, but at least managed to land this time without hitting the wall. You still need to do it faster, Naruto." This sent the bird into a fit of squawks that threatened to wake the dead and Sasuke flicked the bird's chest and said, "and you are still too noisy." The bird cawed once in protest but settled down.

Focusing on the now darkened windows of Naruto's old apartment, Sasuke knew that both boys were asleep. He'd almost dismissed Naruto's suggestion from the night before to keep a close eye on his youngest son. Unlike when he was growing up, Naruto no longer had any difficulty keeping his opinions on village matters neutral, but this was one of his children and it was Yon's strange shift in behavior that turned out to be the source of confusion Sasuke noted earlier. Naruto was following his parental instincts on this one and for all the time the position of Hokage absorbed, Naruto really did know his children better than they thought. His biggest concern was that he'd left Hito's attitude problem go unresolved just a bit too long. Hito, like his father just let it all out but from Yon's reaction to Sasuke's restriction concerning his speaking method, it was clear the boy internalized a lot of his anger.

His train of thought was interrupted when the crow on his shoulder asked him a question. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, but complied and blinked as the world around him flooded his brain with images and details of things he'd not seen for a very long time. Even in the washed out colors of night it was all a bit overwhelming and was almost thankful when the bird on his shoulder fidgeted as it waited, distracting him from his reverie.

The crow let out a series of curious chirps and Sasuke answered, "No, but if he is involved, Mi being severely injured has certainly rattled him. I don't think Yon would have planned for things to turn out the way they did, however frustrated he is with Hito. We'll just have to keep an eye on him for now. It was only his body language that suggested he was doing more than getting some air. As for speaking, like you I couldn't hear what he said. The boy has absolute control over his chakra, so with no time to prepare there's really wasn't a way to eavesdrop without giving ourselves away."

There was a questioning sound from the crow and Sasuke gave the bird a sidelong glance and said, "I think I can still handle one measly genin, even if he is your son. I thought Hito was stubborn, but that one would most likely shut out everyone if he even imagines he's being watched."

The crow abruptly lost its already tentative footing and did a fair amount of flapping before it settled down again. "Can't you sit still? If I'm going to continue to use those eyes, you'll have to train some more. You're god awful at the moment, all that bouncing is making me queasy."

The crow let out a sound that reminded Sasuke suspiciously of a chuckle as the bird purposely swayed its head before it jumped off his shoulder, landing on his head. Taking off briefly, the crow was obviously having issues as it attempted to fly around smoothly. It wasn't working so the crow attempted another landing on the edge of the roof. It squawked in a curious way, spread its wings over balancing itself and Sasuke saw himself smile as the bird toppled over the edge. The details of the world returned to that familiar welcome darkness as Sasuke heard the crow let out a panicked squawk before its chakra completely disappeared.

"Dobe..."

As Sasuke pondered the problem, he asked himself the real question now facing them. Just who or what was Yon talking to? Sasuke's own curiosity was piqued earlier by Mi and Yon's habit of using other people's ears to listen and speak. It was what sparked the idea that Sasuke found irresistibly intriguing. It was turning out to be harder than he expected to incorporate images from another set of eyes while viewing his surroundings from a different perspective than his own. This wasn't something he could do with just anyone either since it required a chakra connection similar to the kind Mi and Yon used to hear and if the person 'seeing' for him never molded chakra in the past, he doubted it would work at all without doing some sort of damage to the other person.

On the upside was the fact that the connection siphoned off small amounts of chakra from his host feeding it directly into his own chakra network. He hadn't felt this good in years. Naruto always did have a ridiculous amount of chakra, even without the kyuubi, so even a low percentage kage bunshin would last longer than most ninja. That's why Naruto assigned himself the task of learning how to be a bird. It still surprised him however that the pair, even knowing now who he really was, easily accepted him as their teacher. Though he was sure they'd regret that soon enough.

He also wondered just how, in the space of a day, Hito somehow managed to rein in his curiosity regarding his father's previous unpopularity. That could only mean someone had given him the information he needed and that somebody was probably Sakura. Naruto said he wouldn't interfere, Sakura however made no such assurances, but whatever she told him, it was enough to quell Hito's obsession with the subject. This was probably for the best since a volatile Hito only served to aggravate everyone around him.

The way Hito sucked up details, it made Sasuke wonder what he really knew about the situation. He'd also have to find a way to shrink the connection and make it less noticeable, but he lacked that kind of time. He'd have to come up with a reasonable explanation by tomorrow, otherwise Hito was bound to ask another random question that he wouldn't feel compelled to answer.

Leaving the roof, Sasuke pondered again on the dark presence he'd felt while sitting on the roof, as well as earlier that morning. It was definitely the same and completely centered on Yon. The mystery lay within the source but just like this morning and even with an ability to 'see' chakra, Sasuke also knew there was no one else there. Whatever it was, it was keeping itself under wraps for now.

_Such a strange bunch of brats, this might even be fun,_ Sasuke thought and paused when he realized how very long it had been since he'd found any reason to push himself to do anything beyond living. He was further surprised when he found it to be a comforting one.

* * *

Sitting on the floor in Naruto's office. Shikamaru scanned haphazardly through some of the past Hokage's notes and let his head hit the wall behind him in frustration. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. For the past two hours he read through them over and over, having them spread out in several piles on the floor. Most were on different methods of summoning and when he happened upon an entry that seemed to describe the summons he was searching for. He set the others aside and after reading part way through the material, Shikamaru noted that it was hurried, messy and almost illegible in spots. But as he picked through it he realized it didn't have much to do with an actual summons, but pertained to theory on how to summon/seal split chakra. _Why would you want to do that?_

There was no date and notes were not signed, so until he compared the handwriting he wouldn't be able to tell which Hokage wrote them. Engrossed in his reading Shikamaru meant only to spare Naruto a distracted wave in greeting as the Hokage entered, but from the way Naruto stripped off the hat and cloak of his office and chucked them on the desk, Shikamaru decided the meeting with the council heads did not go well.

Dropping into his chair, Naruto spun it around to look out one of the windows. Shikamaru only became interested in what Naruto was doing because of the black cloud of something that suddenly obscured the view outside. Since Naruto didn't react to it at all, this made Shikamaru even more curious, so he got up and joined the Hokage at the window.

The black mass turned out to be an usually large flock of crows that gathered and the birds were flying around the tower. They'd land, take off, fly this way and that, but all to no purpose that Shikamaru could see. He tracked a few as they landed on a rooftop, took off, flying next to a tree and leaving there to the next roost only to take off again._ Now that's some odd behavior_, he thought, until he noticed the birds were actually following the same path. There were just so many, that unless you were paying attention you wouldn't notice each bird was doing the exact same thing.

When one careened into the window, Naruto cocked an eyebrow and rubbed his chin. The bird fell away and Shikamaru noted the Hokage frowned when a second did the same thing. After twelve more collisions, Shikamaru wondered at the Hokage's increasing look of irritation. It did not lessen until the rest finally seemed to learn from the mistakes of the others and managed to correct their flight path to avoid it.

Shikamaru, looked out at the birds again. The flock was smaller than before. _Where did they all go?_ It dawned on him then that apart from the sound of hundreds of wings all beating at once, none of the birds were making any noise. That was extremely incongruent for a flock that large. Normally something like that would wake up half the village, unless...

"Naruto?"

"Yeah..." Naruto replied not taking his eyes off the birds.

"Bunshin?"

Naruto nodded.

"What are they doing?"

"Learning to fly-tettabayo. It's taking way more time than I thought it would."

_Learning to fly-tettabayo? _Shikamaru blinked, that speech tick, so common when Naruto was young, only surfaced now when he was very excited or seriously angry.

"I have to be able to fly like a normal crow by morning. I'll explain later. Has there been any word from Suna?"

"Not since the initial contact."

"Have you sent the response yet?" Naruto asked.

"No, but I can send it now-"

"Good, but there's something I want to add to it. Ask Gaara to look for Chiyo-basama's gift."

"Eh?"

"I'll explain that later too once we hear back from Gaara...I'm probably wrong..."

"Okay, I'll take care of that now. How long are you going to be?"

"Not sure just yet, but you don't have to stay, Sai will be by soon and this does tend to be boring for people who watch."

On the contrary, it fascinated Shikamaru. Naruto's methods of learning new things were always a bit unconventional, but they worked. Still Shikamaru did have to get home if he was going to carry out the Hokage's orders. Packing up the notes he was reading earlier, Shikamaru started to leave but stopped when Naruto called him back.

"Aaaah, Nara…one last question...how clear is my schedule for the next five days?"

"Not very."

"Shit, just how much of it really requires _me_ to be there?"

"I'd say...only one."

"Really? Which one?"

"Check your calendar before you leave, you'll figure it out," Shikamaru said as he opened the door and added before leaving, "Naruto, if you do happen to make twenty or so bunshin, just make sure this time you're wearing the cloak and hat before hand."

"Got it!"

Closing the door Shikamaru passed Sai as he was coming up the stairs toward the Hokage's office. Sai waved, his face wearing that disturbing smile of his and Shikamaru wondered briefly what was going on. If it had anything to do with that meeting with the council members, he'd likely hear about it in the morning. With no time to worry about it, Shikamaru filed the information away for later and headed down the stairs.

* * *

Futa's eyes opened this time to complete and utter darkness. Raising her hands to her face, it took her a moment to realize she'd used both of them. There was no pain, no anything just cold, blankness. The lack of any sensation made her wonder if maybe she was dead.

_You ain't dead Futa.._

**That's good cause that would sure suck...hey, wait a minute...who said that?**

_It's me, Futa._

**Mi? Where the hell are you I can't see anything...**

_Close your eyes..._

Since having them open was only making her already stressed out state of mind that much worse, Futa did and found her little brother right in front of her. Startled she opened her eyes again and found herself right back in that awful darkness.

**This is so f'ed up... **

_Try to keep your eyes shut, Futa_

**Easy for you to say shorty, **but did and covered them with her hands to keep from opening them again. **Where are we?**

_I don't know, but that's not important right now._

**Yes it is, how are we supposed to get out if we don't know that? **

_I can't leave anyway...put out your hand._

She did and was surprised to find a barrier between herself and her brother.

**What the hell is this?**

_Don't know that either, about the only thing I have figured out is that as long as it exists, I'm stuck here. Believe me I've tried everything and nothing works. I'm guessing that when I was hurt, I lost consciousness and haven't woken up yet, but with this barrier here, I may not be able to without help._

**But what can I do?**

_Don't know but that's why San sent for you...so you would know. _

**Sent? **Futa suddenly remembered the medic, the hypodermic. She was in a forced sleep, but there wasn't a barrier around her, just the creepy nothingness. **So you were attacked by one of those fuzz balls too and got bit then...**

_Yeah..._

**Did it get anyone else?**

_No, I don't think so; otherwise they'd probably be here too. I should be alright for now...see if I focus hard enough I can make stuff I want appear. I've already made myself at home._

Futa looked past her brother and noted he was in a space that looked a lot like his bedroom. With the exception of a total lack of color it was complete with bed and everything. Her attention went back to him when she heard him say;

…_meant for it to go this far...if Mom hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't have been able to hear you at all the last time. _

**You said San sent for me...just who is this San person? **Mi said nothing in reply and Futa crossed her arms and waggled a finger at him in a fair imitation of their mother. ** You obviously need help to get out of here**, **so why are you making me figure it the hard way Mi?** Her brother remained silent, and Futa growled.

_I can't tell you, I promised I wouldn't__ and..._

**And what?**

_You have to promise you won't _tell_ either__._

**Eh? then how am I supposed to he help you?**

_I don't know, but you're pretty smart nee-chan._

**Flattery won't help Mi, what if I say no?**

_If you don't Futa nee-chan, San said you won't be able to leave here either._

**Is San the someone you said was here before?**

Again there was no answer, but from the way he looked past her, she decided she was probably right. Mi wasn't usually this stubborn, but when he got like that there was no moving him.** Alright brat, I promise. How soon til I wake up?**

Putting a hand up on the barrier, he waited until Futa did as well. **Now what?**

Mi closed his eyes as chakra surrounded his hand. Futa felt the heat of it on the obstruction between them, the surface was getting unbearably hot, but if Mi could put up with it, then so could she. Mi finally opened his eyes and said, _Remember your promise nee-chan and be careful...release_

Futa's breath caught in her throat as Mi's chakra shot through the barrier hitting her full force and for the second time that day, Futa shocked awake. She lay there panting as she tried to think, but her head was swimming. The Medic backed off as Renji appeared in front of her face. She blinked when he vanished and she heard him shout, "Hina-Sensei! Wait!" she heard Renji shout, "Futa's awake again!"

Propped up on pillows, Futa saw a smile on the face of the medic that had knocked her out earlier. The room erupted in chaos when Shinto cried out and the still shadow bound medic at its center collapsed into a pile of dead leaves. Futa stared at the spot, thinking how her chakra felt weirdly familiar and forced herself to sit up.

Whoever that was, she wasn't an enemy. Thinking back to when she first fell unconscious, Futa remembered only skimming past the darkness but never entering it. Not believing in the reality of her brother's voice until she woke up. The fake medic, she decided was the one her brother said sent for her. _What was the name he used...San? That's what I'll call her from now on..._San apparently couldn't help her brother, but made sure Futa was asleep enough and would have long enough to actually find Mi this time. _Was kind of bunshin was that?_

With each passing second Futa's muddle up brain was waking up. The nausea was gone, and her earlier headache was now only a dull throb _There must have been something more in that hypo than just a sedative._ Her attention didn't leave that spot until Renji broke her line of sight. His face held such a worried expression that Futa forced a smile and gave a little wave saying, "Look that good, do I? Don't worry I'm fine now."

Shinto remained where he was, looking alternately from the floor to Futa as he assessed the information in front of him. He still had control of his shadow possession when San disappeared, she'd have to see if he knew how she was able tot do that. Hina-Sensei moved past every one and byakugan already activated, she focused all of her attention on Futa. When she seemed satisfied that her student had come to no real hurt, Futa leaned close and said, "Sensei, I kinda have to pee." Her sensei smiled and turned to shoo everyone who wasn't female out of the room. "Thanks Sensei."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I can make it from here...er...Hina-Sensei?"

"Yes Futa?"

"Aaah, where is the bathroom?" Hina-sensei point to a curtained area off to the left and Futa sighed as she gingerly hopped off the bed. "Thanks."

A short time later and once Futa was back in bed, the medic returned and undid the bindings on her hand. She could flex her fingers now, but the whole area was sore..._What the hell was in that crap?_ she wondered.

When Shinto and Renji returned, it was with enough food for the whole team. Futa ate in silence, carefully maneuvering the chopsticks with her left hand. Her father insisted she learn to do most everyday things with both hands…he never explained why, but Futa often wondered if it had something to do with the large number of tiny white scars his right hand and arm. Lost in her wanderings, Futa felt uneasy when the Kazekage himself showed up to check on her and Futa wanted to just curl up and hide. Not because her initial feeling of well-being was gone, but Futa needed more time to think. She didn't want to lie to the Kazekage.

He did look in her direction, but he surprised her when he didn't ask any questions of her. Instead he spoke quietly to her Sensei for a few minutes before both exited the room. Futa's eye caught on the wristband again; there were a lot more streaks of white in it now. That could only mean that mean every time Mi used his 'voice' to speak to her it used up some of the chakra he must have stored there when he made it and probably used a lot to send her back from where ever the hell that creepy void was. She was going to need help if she was going to get him out of there, but how was she going to do that without telling anyone?

Mi's quiet voice popped back in her head _...you won't _tell_ either..._

Tell...so no out loud conversations...

"Hey guys?"

"Yeah Futa?"

"Do you now how much longer I gotta stay in here?"

"I overheard the medic say you could leave tomorrow morning, Futa-san." Renji said and stretched.

"Assuming, Uzumaki, you don't pass out again," Shinto added with a poke to her forehead.

"You guys are stuck here then?"

The boys exchanged glances and both shrugged.

Futa grabbed a pad of paper and pencil off the night stand and asked, "Wanna play hangman?"

* * *

_Author's Note: Expect a short delay while I figure out just how I'm going to write out a game of hangman...  
_

* * *


	14. A Hanged Man

I told you there'd be a delay...

Anyway - on with the show...a relatively short chapter - but hey, I'm old and I need to nap more frequently than I used to... As always thank you so much for reading. To those who review, you have my utmost gratitude. There will be more cake nonsense in the next chapter and to belle - you asked me a question - the answer is yes and no - since it actually all ties into to a random sub plot later on...or something like that.

* * *

**Recipe for Disaster**

**by achitka**

**A Hanged Man**

* * *

_You ain't dead --_

_-- good cause - hey, --...who said?_

_me, Futa_

_Where -- see anything..._

_Close -- eyes..._

_-- so f'ed up... _

_-- keep eyes shut_

_Easy -- shorty…where --?_

_-- not important--._

_Yes it is, -- if we don't ? _

_Can't leave -- your hand._

_What --this?_

_Don't know -- it --exists, --stuck -- consciousness -- not able -- help._

_You said -- sent--who is -- need help -- why -- the hard way Mi? _

_-- can't tell -- promised -- and..._

_And what?_

_You -- promise_

_Eh? then how -- help?_

_don't know, -- nee-chan._

_-- what if -- no?_

_-- neechan, -- won't -- leave here either._

_Is -- you said was here before?-- Alright -- promise. _

_Remember -- promise -- release. _

Hito blinked awake as he lay in bed staring into the darkness. _Well that was just weird, _he thought. Normally Hito didn't remember dreams, he just fell asleep then wake up the next day, but whenever he did..._shit..._sure sounded like Futa and Mi. Maybe he'd ask Yon in the morning…it was probably just wishful thinking on his part anyway. Sitting up, Hito was confused for a second as he looked around at the strange surroundings. When he remembered where he was and why he wasn't in his own bed, Hito sighed.

Going to the window, he opened it and welcomed the cool October breeze that blew in and Hito wondered why this apartment stood empty for so long. Sure it wasn't the best part of town, but you could see practically the whole village from here. A light in the distance, Hito knew was his father's office in the Hokage tower, disappeared briefly behind a black mass of something. The light flickered in and out of sight and Hito stared at it in an attempt to figure out why that was. When he realized it was a flock of birds, he yawned as he absently wondered why they were so quiet, but he was feeling tired again so he didn't wonder very much…he was probably just too far away...probably.

Hito shoved the question to the back of his head. He was already in trouble for letting his odd obsessions get the better of him and that's probably why his mother told him what she did, the way she did. Not because she was trying to be mean, but because if she did sugarcoat it just to make him feel better, it still would've been a lie. She knew better than anyone just how his brain worked and where would they be when he did learn the truth of it.

Hito managed to sit through a lot of lectures in the past six months, none of which he'd really bothered to listen to. Simply put, he could no longer afford to keep repeating the same stupid mistakes. He really did need to focus less on what happened back in the day and a lot more on the things that were happening now. When an especially brisk wind blew by, Hito took a deep breath and held it before slowly exhaling.

On notice...

Those two words still left him more than a little nervous. While his mother didn't downplay the status, she did confirm the severity of the reprimand, especially for a genin. Hito now knew he'd been working his way toward that designation since after his first set of assignments. He'd been lackadaisical in his approach to his assigned missions, too frequently not where he should be, ignoring direct orders from his Sensei and endangering others by consistently disregarding reprimands. It made Hito wonder why it didn't happen sooner.

Noticing Yon shiver, Hito shut the window and went over and noted his brother was half out of his blankets and still wearing his clothes. _Little goof_, Hito thought as he gently pulled off his brother's jacket. Chucking it aside Hito jumped at the dull metallic sound the jacket made when it hit the floor. He couldn't have thrown it that hard. After he finished rearranging Yon, he made sure to pull the blanket up around his brother's neck the way he liked and watched his little brother sleep.

Few people understood Mi and Yon's limitations, but he did. It was why he let himself fail those graduation exams, but lately, he realized, he'd been taking out his frustrations more and more on his little brothers. He'd had been so wrapped up in his own bullshit that Hito wasn't really surprised when Yon belted him the day before. He'd actually been expecting them to try to pull some sort of prank to get him back since both were acting pretty weird lately and now there was all this.

"I've been kind of a crap ass lately, eh little brother?"

People at the academy often times avoided them and their odd way of speaking was only part of it. Both really were genius level shinobi and most of the kids and even some of the adults were afraid of them because of it.

Standing up Hito decided he'd definitely find his way back into the good graces of the Hokage, and he was determined he'd make double damned sure it wasn't at his brothers' expense. And if the only way to that was to survive the geezer's training...he would. Picking up his brother's coat, he remembered the thunk he'd heard earlier. Hito stood there for quite awhile and weighed the jacket trying to decide if he should go through his brother's pockets. In the end Hito was unable to talk himself out of it, as his curiosity got the better of him so he slipped quietly out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen. Turning on the light Hito set the jacket on the table and carefully removed the items that weren't the usual ninja gear. There was an astounding amount of junk but only two items held any interest for him. One was a scroll and the other a small figurine.

Running a finger over the figure's tiny stone face, Hito struggled to recall where he'd seen something similar in the past. He knew he'd seen it somewhere. How could anyone forget such a creepy little thing, with its hunched back, large crazy eyes, set off by an elongated nose and mouth? Turning it over he almost dropped it when he noted the symbol carefully painted in what looked like fresh blood. It was the only part that didn't look worn or faded. _Shi?_

Stuffing it back in its pocket, Hito picked up the scroll and noticed there was a tiny chakra seal on it. The scroll case itself was old and a bit beat up; the chakra seal wasn't. More weirdness. The string was definitely Mi's handiwork, the only reason Hito knew that was because Mi was left handed, so everything he did always looked backwards to Hito. This didn't actually worry him since he already knew how to get around them. Mi and Yon didn't know he could do that, but Hito thought it hilarious to mess the pair sometimes. He always had a knack for copying things like that but never bothered to tell them he'd picked up their trick of creating chakra threads before they entered the academy and Hito certainly didn't think twice about opening the scroll.

After the first few lines, Hito realized it was the scroll the Third Hokage made for his father. From the condition of the case it probably was made around the time the geezer said it was. Hito decided not to read the story itself right now, but instead focused his attention on the pictures and marveled at the skill with which they were drawn. That old man had a real talent for it; none of the colors appeared to have faded either.

Kushima's face was far prettier than he'd imagined framed, as it was by her long red hair making her green eyes stand out in an unexpected way. Or maybe it was the shape of them, Hito couldn't decide. He blinked as he looked at the depiction of the old farmer, Sarutahiko, and immediately stood up as he held it up to the light.

_What the...he looks just like the geezer, _Hito thought. Then he remembered that the old man, really wasn't and it made him curious as to what the old man did look like. Hito assumed he just looked like his regular self, just older, but something about that bugged him since he found out the old man's name. There wasn't a lot of information laying around about the Uchiha Clan. He was sure his parents knew, but there was no way he could think of to get them to tell him. Storing the information away, Hito looked next at young shinobi and blinked. Not only did he seem weirdly familiar, but looked a lot like his father.

It wasn't until he got to the pictures near the end of the scroll that Hito stopped again. Examining one of the last illustrations, he pulled the creepy little statue out of his brother's pocket again. _No doubt about it,_ he thought. The pictures of the tengu demons drawn there, looked just like the figurine and Hito suddenly remembered where he'd seen it before. His father's library. He was also pretty sure there were more than one too.

Chances were this little trinket was cursed or worse - but the bigger mystery was why Yon would be carrying something like that around in the first place? Glancing at the figure again, Hito shuddered. Damn thing still creeped him out, so he decided to think about it later and stuffed it and the scroll back into the pockets he'd found them in.

Returning to the bedroom Hito carefully laid Yon's jacket next to him and crawled back under his covers and quickly fell asleep. All that thinking was making his brain hurt and his dreams were filled with pretty red haired girls, fighting demons while flying on the backs of talking crows.

* * *

"Wanna play hangman?" Futa asked hopefully.

"Futa-san, why would we do that?" Renji asked. Shinto himself cocked an eyebrow at Futa's request just as Hina-Sensei reentered the room and sat down near the window. The three paused in their conversation, but their Sensei said nothing to them. Just opened the book she had with her and started reading. Shinto shrugged and noticed Futa was already busy scribbling something on the pad in addition to the usual gallows.

It said: _got ?? can't say_

"Well, Futa-san?" Renji asked again.

"Because..." she said with a heavy sigh, "I'm bored."

Since the beginning of Team 8's existence, Renji pretty much named himself the 'leader' of their genin team. This grated on Futa and though she put up with it for the most part, she tended to lose her temper when Renji would chide her as if she were some academy student. The fact that she was the only one on their team to advance to the finals was pretty much lost on the Hyuuga.

"You've only been here for a day and awake for less than a few hours of that," Renji said.

"Your point being what, Renji?"

Shinto noted the tartness of Futa's reply. There was also a hint of impatience that Shinto knew Renji would react to.

"You should be resting."

"I'm not tired…well, not any more."

"Why are you being so difficult? You're lucky they said you could leave tomorrow. You are the Hokage's daughter after all."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Futa snapped, but Shinto noted that all the while, Futa continued writing. This time she wrote: _fuzzy + medic & 3 + 3 ??_

Interest piqued, Shinto decided he'd better break it up before the pair really got started and said, "Alright, Uzumaki, I'm game, but how 'bout we do it tomorrow? It's late and they'll kick us out of here soon anyway."

Renji looked at him as if he's sprouted another head and not just because he'd been interrupted. It was common knowledge Shinto hated word games of any kind. They were just too random and Futa being Futa, tended to make this aspect twenty times worse.

Covering the pad with her hand, Futa schooled her features into a hopeful smile but didn't bother to hide the disappointment in her voice, "Okay, but tomorrow for sure?"

"Uh, yeah, for sure," Shinto replied, surprised by Futa's sudden willingness to cooperate. "Come on Hyuuga, I'm kinda tired myself. Hey, Uzumaki, mind if I borrow that pad?"

"No, not at all," Futa replied as Shinto took the pad of paper and stuffed it in a pocket. "Need a pen?" she asked.

"No, I'm all set."

"Great, g'nite guys."

As the boys left the hospital and walked back to the hotel, Renji asked, "So why is it that she only listens to you?"

"How the hell should I know? But you might want to try not talking to her like she's a helpless idiot."

"I do no such thing."

Shinto stared at his teammate for a moment trying to decide if he should argue that point. Deciding against it Shinto pulled out the pad and after handing it to his teammate he asked, "What do you make of this?"

"Eh?" Renji asked as he read Futa's message, "this doesn't make any sense."

"Sure don't, but something weird is going on. Why else would Futa waste time confirming that the 'fuzzy' and the medic were connected, we'd already guessed that. It's the rest that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I noticed you activated your byakugan before Hina-sensei, what did you see?"

"There was nothing out of the ordinary until you achieved your shadow possession. Then for a split second, I thought I saw something but at the time I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."

"So what was it?"

"Got that pen?"

Shinto produced the requested instrument, which Renji used to sketch a most peculiar thing. It was only an outline, but from the shape Shinto could see its hunched back and drawn out nose. Nothing at all like that medic, but it did remind him of something disturbing.

Fuzzy + medic & 3 + 3 ??

"So what do you think the rest of it means?" Renji asked pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I still have no idea, that medic should not have been able to break my shadow possession, but she did and probably could have any time she wanted to and that leads me to believe that the medic wasn't human. We somehow gotta find a way to let Hina-Sensei and the others know what's going on without involving Futa. Something must have happened while she was knocked out and if she went to this much trouble to tell us this, without actually saying it, Futa's not going to _talk_ about it."

Shinto shoved the pad back into his pocket as the pair melted into the larger crowd of folks arriving for the festival prior to the Main Matches.

"That does present problems," Renji said thoughtfully.

Shinto let out a snort and asked, "When has anything involving an Uzumaki not been?"

This elicited an uncharacteristic bark of laughter from Renji, who agreed saying, "True enough."

* * *

When the moon set and the last of Naruto's crows poofed out of existence, the Hokage sighed as he rubbed his face and waited. Bunshin training was always exhausting and Naruto closed his eyes as he sorted through the memory sets his clones piled up in his head. Normally he'd only use ten or less clones, but for this he'd used close to two hundred and still only felt a bit more confident he'd mastered what was needed, it would have to do though. The teme was right about learning to fly; it was a serious pain in the ass. Sasuke was expecting him or one of his clones to show up at his apartment by 8am. Glancing at the clock, Naruto knew he'd have at least one hour to sleep once he and Sai finished up. He stretched before heading for the door with Sai in tow and as he reached for the door handle he remembered there wasn't one.

"Damn kids, destroy everything-dattebayo," Naruto said with a smirk. Pulling the door open he came to an abrupt halt, smacking his forehead as he suddenly remembered to look at his calendar. Retracing his steps back to his desk, he opened a drawer and sifted through an unusual assortment of items but the dreaded book of doom was not there. Naruto straightened and absently scratched the thin whiskers on his face as he realized he'd lost track of the days again. "Eh, Sai?"

Sai reached down and plucked Naruto's calendar from beneath a pile of unread scrolls and stated, "Today is Tuesday."

Naruto favored Sai with a sour look that was completely lost on the other shinobi. Still, he was expecting him to say Sunday and added in nonchalant way, "Already?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama," Sai said as he nodded.

"You're getting as bad as Nara," Naruto mumbled and flipped forward through the pages of his calendar in an attempt to figure which date Shikamaru referred to earlier...Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...Fri- "Aaahhh..." Naruto set down the book and stared at the entry. It really would be bad if one of his bunshin showed up for that. A wave of chakra he did not recognize made him look at Sai who noticed it also, but just as quickly as it manifested, it was gone.

"Naruto-kun?"

The Hokage blinked at the sound of his wife's voice. _Naruto-kun?_ He certainly wasn't expecting Sakura to show up, but there she was, just outside the still open door of his office. Sai was standing near the door, out of her line of sight and shook his head. _That's not good,_ Naruto thought. Waving his hand, Sai melted backward through the wall and at the same time Naruto asked, "So what brings you out this late Sakura-chan?"

"I was worried when you didn't come home. You look tired, you should come with me and rest."

Naruto went about straightening the items on his desk and replied, "No, I'm fine actually and I'll sleep later."

"But you need to rest now..."

"I'll sleep here then-

"No."

"-when I'm done."

"You have to come with me.

"Eh?"

"It's important."

"Well if it's important, then of course," Naruto said and after a quick hand sign there were two of him. Nodding to himself, the Hokage said, "Alright, let's go." When he reached her, Sakura punched him full force and the bunshin Naruto exploded in a puff of expended chakra.

"No bunshin, Naruto-kun," Sakura said flatly.

Naruto smiled and stepped from behind his desk. Turning out the light, he followed the woman out the door saying, "Aaah, you got me again, Sakura-chan. I never could fool you. I guess the paperwork can wait until later then."

When the door to the office closed, a crow walked from beneath the desk and took off. Fluttering atop the desk it watched from the darkened office as the Hokage exited the tower. Sai's head manifested back through the wall and he said quietly, "I've sent word to Sakura-san at the hospital. ANBU have been dispatched there and around your old apartment. Shall I round up the others?"

Jumping off the desk, the crow clapped its beak, releasing the transformation jutsu and Naruto sat heavily into his chair saying, "No, not yet, just follow them for now, I want to find out what's so damned important but send a message to Nara and the teme. We can take care of the other later."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Sai said and disappeared from view.


	15. Familar Faces

Yesh, go figure - a new year and look I actually managed to update this story - woot go me!

Anyway - on with the show. Try not to get too confused there really is a reason for this :P

* * *

Recipe for Disaster

Chapter 15?

Familiar Faces

* * *

Mi pulled his hands back from the barrier as Futa faded from view.

"You did very well, Mi-chan," a whispered voice behind him said.

Mi turned to face the speaker but made no reply. He found it weird that San's twisted features didn't stand out as much as when he first laid eyes on her. So he guessed as demons went, San wasn't as bad looking as he thought or maybe he was just getting used to her. Unlike Yon, he made no promise not to look. San seemed to think him rather brave because of it, but the truth was he was just overly curious. It was why he went along with this stupidness in the first place.

It's never fun to find out your not as smart as you thought you were. He should have told his parents, Moegi-sensei, or even Hito what they'd done but the demons acted before he could. When Futa said she was attacked by one of those weird little animals too, Mi was shocked. That shouldn't have happened. Glancing down at his wristband he realized that this was how San found his sister. He wasn't entirely sure how she escaped or what San wanted her for, but that didn't matter really, he knew it couldn't be anything good. Even if Yon was the one to awaken the pair, Mi knew he was just a to blame for the situation as his brother. Now even if he did manage to figure out the demon's plans his opportunities to contact and warn her were even worse since more of the colored chakra threads were missing.

San faded from view so Mi walked toward the bed, the empty sound of his footsteps echoing his growing anxiety. Now that he was stuck in here there was no way for him to help. Lying down Mi closed his eyes. He needed to think. There had to be some way to get out of here, but with no way to talk to his twin, or anyone else for that matter, he'd have to rely on Futa. He just hoped she figured out his little hint about San.

* * *

Unable to sleep, Sasuke sat in a chair near an open window absently scratching the ears of the kitten resting there. His thoughts rolled through his head in an unusually disjointed fashion as he tried to sort out his world as it continued to shift out of balance. Feelings of anticipation for the future and an underlying excitement that came along with it were something he was no longer used to.

Whatever it was that really made up the dobe's chakra it seemed to correct everything that had stopped Sasuke's body from cooperating with his former demands. None of the pain or exhaustion he usually had to deal with had manifested...so far, but this was still the longest he'd gone without meds. If Naruto was able to complete his crow training by morning like he claimed, there was a good possibility that Sasuke's dependence on the medicines he'd had to take since losing his sight would no longer be necessary. But did he really want to trade one for the other?

Being blind was never really an issue to Sasuke. It had its drawbacks, but it was never something he considered a handicap. He'd adapted his life around it but now, the routines to which he'd become accustomed felt dull and incomplete in comparison to those few minutes of borrowed light. It invigorated him more than he thought they would.

A burst of chakra a good distance outside his apartment made him wonder. The feeling didn't dissipate, but instead, muted itself as a layer of chakra he associated with a more familiar signature took its place. It still resonated of the original though.

_How very odd,_ he thought.

"Sasuke-chan?"

"You noticed that too, Denka?" Sasuke asked the cat now walking along his window.

"Nyaa, yes…it is the same as earlier. Shall I check on the kitten?"

The question caused Sasuke's hand to still and he thought about that for a moment._ Did he? _Picking up the sleeping ball of fur in his lap, he set it on the nearby bed.

"Sasuke-chan?"

"No, thank you, Denka," he said and standing up. Sasuke pulled on the shirt he'd discarded earlier and said, "I think I'll check this out myself, this is actually starting to get interesting."

"Yes it is," the cat said as it turned and leapt from the window.

Sasuke entered the kitchen and reached into a tall cabinet. There was only one thing there and Sasuke lifted the staff out.

"Sssssssssssss."

His brain identified the sound as a snake, but what would a snake be doing in his apartment? Another oddity. This could mean only one thing and it piqued Sasuke's curiosity even further. Sai was sending him a message? Sasuke touched the staff to the floor and the snake curled itself up around until it reached his hand. It stopped as if waiting for something. Things like this usually required a release word of some sort. Moving the staff to his other hand, Sasuke opened the other palm side up and said, "Hebi."

The snake started across his fingertips then traveled slowly up his arm. Sasuke remained still as he concentrated on the raised bumps and ridges of the snake's 'skin' as it passed over his fingertips. Reading like this had taken a good deal of time to master, but in the end it was worth the effort. The snake traveled at a leisurely pace moving ever closer to his head but even that didn't bother him as the words took shape in his head.

Though it was short and oddly cryptic, Sasuke was mildly impressed that it was easily understandable. The chakra signature outside was now approaching his door but there was no reason for that person to be here this time of the night so when there was a knock at the door, he ignored it and returned to his room. Slipping out the window, Sasuke felt the snake slip to the ground in a puddle of spent ink and chakra.

* * *

Picking through an enormous pile of medical records, Sakura yawned and stretched before she pulled out another file and began reading. There was a similar incident a long time ago but she only had a rough idea of when that was. The 'animal' that attacked her and the boys was by no means a low level summons and the identity of the summoner was still a mystery. Her concentration was crap, though. She needed to rest but there were just too many unanswered questions floating around in her head. First and foremost were the obvious ones regarding Yon's involvement in all this and there was little doubt in her mind that if one of her twins was involved so was the other.

The only thing that was apparent was that the creature did more than just injure Mi's arm and by the time she'd realized the true purpose behind the speed of the infection was to create a connection, it was already too late to counter. Now that it was in place, it was proving very difficult to sever. That was why she enlisted Ino's help to see if she would be able to break it by possessing his body. Mi was still losing chakra but weirder still was that he was still generating it while he slept. It stabilized his condition but it was no small irritation to her that she had no idea where that excess chakra going or what would happen to Mi's chakra network if things continued like this. Even the dire predictions from her colleagues didn't come close to alarming her as much as what Ino discovered that first night.

------

_Sakura paced a short line while her husband leaned against the doorframe nearby. This was just taking forever. How long was Ino going to take to complete her assessment of Mi's condition? Sakura sped up her pace and rubbed her arms in frustration thing that something must be really. She only stopped when she found her way blocked by her husband. Her irritation flared up, but just as quickly faded as Naruto wrapped his arms around her. As the overwhelming tenseness she felt started to ebb into that motionlessness silence he was somehow able to generate, Sakura took in a deep breath. She hadn't realized she was that wound up and it was a much calmer Sakura that asked as Ino released her possession, "So, what do you think?"_

"_Sakura, you should sit down," Ino said with a serious frown._

"_Why? What did you find?" Sakura asked. _

_Ino's look of concern did not lessen as she turned to her friend and replied, "Nothing."_

"_Then he should be alright." _

"_That isn't what I meant, Sakura, but you know when I possess someone, I can usually feel their subconscious."_

_Sakura stiffened but nodded as Naruto did as well._

"_I can't feel anything..." Ino faltered as she tried to find the best way to explain it. Sakura frowned, that just made no sense and she wished Ino would just spit it out already. She was about to say so but stopped when she felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder gently tighten._

"_I'm sorry Ino, but I didn't quite get your meaning," Naruto said. _

"_This will sound strange, and I don't want to give you the wrong idea, but it almost feels like…his soul is missing."_

"_Eh? Missing? Are you sure, Ino?" Naruto asked._

"_No, and he's definitely alive, otherwise my possession wouldn't have worked, but there's also a barrier in place that I couldn't breech, that's why it's so strange."_

"_Do you think it would help if you did try to break it?" Sakura asked._

"_Truthfully, I wouldn't recommend it. That wall in his head is definitely in place for a reason and there were no feelings of pain associated with it. Without knowing why or who put there, I'm uncertain. It almost felt like it was put there to protect him."_

"_So you think we should do nothing?"_

"_What I'm saying, Sakura, is that if I do try to yank it down I might end up killing him. Is that what you want?"_

"_Of course not, but you can't seriously expect-" _

"_Sakura-chan." _

_Naruto's interruption, though not completely unexpected, felt unusually abrupt and Sakura turned away from the pair moving closer to the bed. Mi looked so small lying there and Sakura's head filled with dire thoughts. Of all her children, Mi was the most sensible, the most grounded. Always serious, it was easy to forget that he was still a child. Sakura refused to waste time losing her temper. She needed a clear head if she was going to help her son. Keeping her frustration in check, Sakura said, _"_Ino, thank you."_

"_I'm sorry, Sakura. I wish there was something more I could tell you."_

Sakura shook herself out of her thoughts when she heard something tapping at the window. Looking out, she saw the tiny bird that hopped along the ledge and realized it as one on Sai's messengers. Opening the window only enough for the bird to enter, she immediately closed and locked it once it was inside. After drawing the curtains, she also latched the door before sitting back at the table and pulling out a scroll.

Before she could open it though, there was a gentle knock on the door. The bird dove under an overturned book and chirped once as the latch undid itself and the door slowly slid open. Sakura masked her irritation as the one person in all of Konohagakure she did not expect to see asked, "Is it alright if I come in?"

* * *

Shikamaru yawned as he finished sorting through the stack of notes he'd just spent the last three hours picking through. The house was unusually quiet with everyone away and just as he lay down a small squeak caught his attention. Turning the lamp back on, Shikamaru stared at the black mouse sitting on his table. It waved as it squeaked again so it wasn't a normal mouse. It was made of ink and that was one of Sai's jutsu.

_What the hell's gone wrong now,_ he wondered as he rubbed his face.

Moving to the table Shikamaru broke the seal of a special scroll and the mouse pushed it out to the length of the table, taking up a position on the far right. It squeaked one more time before Shikamaru nodded and said, "Hanta."

The mouse melted into a line of ink that quickly coalesced into a message Shikamaru read with growing irritation. While he regretted not sleeping sooner, this was an opportunity that might not come again so the overtired jounin grabbed his gear and headed out the door. Ideas that had been bouncing around in his head since the initial attack began to line up as the variables involved started to fall away. Still, he was going to need help and headed quickly up the street.

* * *

The bunshin Naruto walked along with his wife in relative silence as she headed for one of the smaller wooded areas on the outskirts of town. He listened as she talked about the weather, dinner, and the price of groceries. The only questions she asked were completely random and all of which had to do with either Hito, his training and weirdly enough, the teme. This was something his wife would never do since she already knew it and Sakura-chan never forgot anything, so he was quite sure the woman walking next to him was not Sakura-chan, but since she still hadn't told him where they were headed, he didn't want to distract whoever this was from their chosen destination. The entire village was still on alert and even if it appeared they were alone, he knew Sai was likely keeping track of him.

Whatever Yon had set in motion, he was likely no longer completely in control of. There was also a good chance his youngest son was unaware of it. At least Naruto hoped so. After several more minutes of aimless wandering, the bunshin was getting bored and was struck by an idea. Obviously the only purpose of this walk was to keep him headed away from where the boys were staying. So when they passed a bench Naruto called to his 'wife' and sat down. She looked back with a mildly irritated expression, but the bunshin had no intention of getting up and patted the seat next to him. Since becoming Hokage, the real Naruto rarely had time to do this sort of thing anymore, this made the bunshin a little sad so he made a mental note for his original to clear up more of his schedule.

As she sat down next to him, the bunshin Naruto wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer causing whatever she was to leak a small amount of chakra that was not her own. This made him curious since there was still something familiar but twisted about the feel of it.

"The grass under that tree across the way, looks mighty comfortable, dattebayo," the bunshin Naruto said giving her a squeeze.

She stiffened at the suggestion while the bunshin suppressed a snicker. His smile widened when he noticed a spike in that odd chakra and the bunshin pulled her even closer. The answer felt so tantalizingly close and in a weird sort of way this was fun.

_Might as well see how far this one intends to go with all this, _the bunshin thought.

He leaned in closer until his lips brushed up against her ear and he whispered, "What do you say we go try it out, eh, Sakura-chan?"

She let out a giggle and the bunshin gave her another little squeeze. She really did look and sound like Sakura-chan, even if her smell was off and the bunshin could no longer resist the temptation to bite her ear. A moment later the woman next to him started to shake and the bunshin let out a low chuckle and said, "I can see this excites you too-"

This turned out to be a bit too much as she cried out and let loose a burst of chakra that made the bunshin Hokage pull back just before she exploded in a shower of dead leaves.

"She blew up," the bunshin commented as he snatched a random leaf out of the air.

"Yes, much like the true Sakura-san would," Sai said appearing from the trees.

The bunshin ignored the comment and stared at the leaf in his fingers. That slippery oily feeling still clung to it and the bunshin focused on that while asking, "And how many others do you think are lurking?"

"Possibly, two, Hokage-sama."

"Two…only two?"

Sai nodded.

The bunshin wasn't entirely sure why, but he got the feeling there was one more but answered, "I can guess where. Anyone not receive your messages?"

"Both Sakura-san's and Sasuke-kun's remain unread."

"Alright then head over to the hospital and check up on my wife, though I pity anyone dumb enough to come after her children. Shikamaru is likely on his way to the Teme's apartment with his trap since it's closer."

Sai nodded as he pulled out a scroll and quickly drew a large bird. Focusing his chakra, Sai animated it and leapt upon the bird's back.

"You're not coming?"

"No, but I'll catch up with you later. We still have that other issue to deal with."

Sai nodded and the bunshin watched as the pair flew off in the direction of the hospital. After a deep breath, the bunshin sighed. He knew he was too far away to be of any real use to Shikamaru and his original was still waiting for more information, so as he concentrated on the leaf still in his fingers the bunshin released the jutsu.

Naruto's blue eyes popped open and he blinked when he realized he'd fallen asleep while waiting for a report. Looking around his office, Naruto smiled. His bunshin's handling of the situation was amusing and completely inappropriate, but whatever. He knew he wouldn't have done anything differently. Turning his chair toward the window Naruto mulled the over the sensation of that weird chakra. It definitely reminded him of something that happened when he was a kid and it was irritating him that he couldn't remember what. It was also a little unnerving that whatever the creature was, it was able to mimic Sakura-chan's chakra signature almost perfectly. A less experienced ninja wouldn't have noticed the difference. It might also explain how, whatever it was, had thus far gone undetected.

The questions his fake wife asked made Naruto, like his bunshin, wonder if there were possibly a fourth and if so, where would it go? With Sai on his way to the hospital and Shikamaru on his way to Sasuke's, Naruto turned his attention to his old apartment and after another minute or two Naruto decided to send a bunshin in crow form to check out the area while he headed off to the rendezvous point. He wasn't really worried, but if one did happen show up there, maybe he'd get another chance to figure out what that chakra reminded him of.

* * *

"Why are you here?" Sakura asked the person standing just outside the door of her son's hospital room.

"I came to see how the boy was doing."

_Really? s_he thought but said, "Mi-chan is doing as well as can be expected."

"Have you figured out what 's wrong with him yet?"

Sakura tilted her head slightly but didn't respond out loud, instead she shook her head in response.

"That's too bad."

Something was definitely not right. Sasuke usually ignored non-verbal responses, claiming he couldn't see them. Sakura found this hard to believe since he was no ordinary blind man. Either way she automatically took a few steps to her left, placing herself between the him and the bed.

"Was there something else, Sasuke-kun?"

"Can I ask you a question about Hito?"

The tone was weirdly tentative and Sakura thought, _Nervousness? From Sasuke-kun?_ Sakura felt it then, the resonance was unmistakable, but what if she was wrong so she answered, "No, I'm sorry Sasuke-kun. I've told you before I won't help you and I have an important matter to attend to-"

Sasuke coughed as he looked down at the sword sticking out of his chest. Sakura took a small step back when the other exploded in shower of dead leaves.

"You are alright, Sakura-san?"

"Yes, Sai. Where is Naruto?" Sakura asked as the bird popped out from under the book and chirped once and flew to Sai's shoulder.

"He is likely on his way to the rendezvous point, he should arrive there in a few minutes. I will remain here with your son until you return."

"Alright, the bridge?"

Sai nodded and Sakura grabbed her gloves as she headed out the door.

* * *

Shikamaru sat in a tree with Ino intently watching the figure that now stood knocking at Uchiha Sasuke's door. There was no answer, but that didn't really surprise him. Shikamaru looked away from his target long enough to nod to Ino who frowned as she disappeared from the tree.

"So what do you think that is?" Sasuke asked.

"Not sure," Shikamaru replied as he returned his attention to the doorway below, "but then you could probably answer that question quicker than me."

"You think?"

"Yeah, in fact I think you recognized that chakra from the beginning, I thought at first that might have been why you didn't want continue Uzumaki Hito's training, but I've discarded that idea in favor of a more likely reason."

"Which would be?"

"That kid gets on your nerves almost as fast as his father used to. Either way, the better question is why you still haven't bothered to tell the Hokage about that little incident this morning."

This was just a guess but when the statement was met with silence, that was all the confirmation Shikamaru needed. Obviously the events were related and the Uchiha knew more than he was saying, not that he ever said anything, still this irked Shikamaru so he decided to add to that; "There's another interesting bit of information I thought I'd mention. There were two artifacts that went missing from the Hokage's library last summer. They've yet to be recovered but after a little research I discovered the items once belonged to a pair of brothers from of all places, the Uchiha Clan."

"Are you suggesting that I took them?"

Shikamaru ignored the question and continued, "Both were sealed by the Yondaime and placed in special cases that could only be opened by the sealer, the item's original owner or their kin. The records don't give actual names of either of the brothers and the sealing pre-dates your existence so this is all just a theory on my part and why I haven't mentioned it to the Hokage."

"And you think these events are related somehow?"

"Maybe."

"And this gains you what?"

"Not a damn thing, it's bothersome and I never like things that have no rational explanation. You should go or you'll miss your rendezvous. I can deal with this." Shikamaru was not surprised by the lack of reply or when the other's presence abruptly vanished from the tree.

Upon her return, Ino said, "You gonna tell me what that was about?"

"Maybe later."

"Tch, okay Nara have it your way. Choji will arrive in five…four…three…two…one…"

"Shikamaru!" Choji announced the name in a loud voice, startling the person that was only just turning away from Uchiha Sasuke's door.

"Choji…what are you doing out this late?"

"Late? I'm not late. I'm actually early today."

"You are?"

Choji moved closer and waggled a finger at the fake Shikamaru and asked, "Did you forget we have a mission this morning?"

The fake Shikamaru went stiff as his eyes went wide. Choji took an abrupt step back as the fake Shikamaru's whole body started to shake.

Back up in the tree the real Shikamaru supported Ino who sat limply on the tree limb with him and he shouted, "On three, Choji"

Choji grunted and pulled out a glass box a foot tall by a foot wide and readied himself even as Shikamaru began his countdown.

"Three...two...Do it Choji!"

Ino started back to life beside him as Choji simultaneously grabbed the fake's neck and swooped the box. There was an explosion of chakra and dead leaves below the box and when the dust settled it showed Shikamaru just what he wanted to see. Hopping out of the tree, he pulled out the four special seals he'd prepared and secured them to the lid with his chakra.

"Well I guess I can cross that off my list," Shikamaru said as he took possession of the box that Choji was doing his best to hold it away from himself.

"List?" Ino asked looking on.

Examining the contents Shikamaru said, "I've always wondered what my severed head would look like."

"Shikamaru, that is just...creepy."

Shikamaru tapped on the glass and asked, "So what did you find out in there?"

"Not much," Ino replied, "I wasn't really in contact with it for that long, fortunately."

"Then let's get this thing over to the lab."

"Tonight?"

"It's the reason we went for the head Ino..."

Ino shuddered and said, "I know, but I already feel like I need to bathe for a week."


End file.
